Lights of Laverre
by EllisW
Summary: She had hidden her deepest affections for so long now, and thought she would never, ever tell him. Little did they both know, the lights of Laverre City would shine on what they tried their best to hide. From elation to devastation, Serena becomes lost, and Ash begins to consider what he really feels. A feeling that refuses to fade is about to take over Ash! Amourshipping SatoSere
1. Enchanted Expectations

**Lights of Laverre**  
 **AshXSerena.**  
Chapter 1: Enchanted Expectations

"Ash..." Her voice called. "Do you think we'll always be together?"  
The raven haired trainer turned around, to see his female companion's delicate eyes.  
"Always." He confidently replied.  
But "together" simply wasn't enough. She felt she needed more than that.

As she walked on, watching him surge ahead to the next city, Laverre City, she pondered over the moment she would finally tell him. Time had passed, and the group walked on, tired from the struggles of another long route.

The faintest sound of Fletchlings grew brighter and more welcoming with every step. The smallest glares of sunshine splashed with every gap in the trees. Emerging from the dark and dangerous swamp of Route 14, the "Laverre Nature Trail", were the four bright, young travellers of Ash, Serena, Clemont and Bonnie. While they had to brave eerie depths to make it past the trail, their spirits were not dampened, as Serena pulled out her Kalos guide, the group knew they were close to Laverre City, location of Ash's next gym battle, and Serena's next Showcase. While they believed they were about to advance through another city as per usual, little did they know that by the time they left, things would be a little different.

Serena was particularly keen to arrive in Laverre, following heartbreak in her first Showcase, she had made changes and was eager to put things right and claim her first Princess Key. Walking along with her close friends by her side she began to realise that she was "fired up", a phrase usually only associated with Ash. Over time she had realised just how much of a family the group had become, and looked down to her side to see Bonnie, as ever full of life, eager to explore. They were like sisters, and judging by her grin she was just as excited to reach the next destination. Serena gave a bright smile to Bonnie, who beamed back.  
"Are you looking forward to arriving too?" Bonnie asked while jumping up and down.  
"Of course! Right now I'm looking at Laverre City on my guide, maybe I'll get the chance to meet Valerie at the Laverre Gym!"  
Serena beamed back, with her voice getting higher the more the anticipation grew. The word "gym" suddenly triggered Ash's attention, the boy she had known for years and finally got the opportunity to travel with. If anything, Serena thought of it as like a dream, yet his priorities always remained as one would expect.  
"Is Valerie the Laverre gym leader? I wonder what kind of Pokemon she uses."  
The raven haired trainer questioned. His sights were immediately set on how he would defeat her before he even knew who she was. Typical of Ash. Yet she liked that in him, for as long as she could remember, Ash was full of heart, and was relentless in aiming to achieve his dream. Serena examined her guide further;  
"She is famous throughout Kalos for her gorgeous taste in fashion! Not to mention the fact that she's so pretty! Her bond with her fairy type Pokemon is something so unique!"  
Serena began dreaming of encountering Valerie, she had so many questions, and idolised her. Maybe she would have some tips for her upcoming Showcase.  
"Alongside that, Laverre City is famous for being enchanted with fairy type Pokemon-" Clemont tried to add, but was suddenly interrupted by his younger sister.  
"Fairy Pokemon like Dedenne? I hope we find lots of cute fairies!"  
She beamed as Dedenne poked his head from her bag. All of this talk of cute fairies and beautiful women was not exactly clicking with Ash's mind.  
"Fairy type, huh... Looks like I'll need to do some training!" He clenched his fists in eagerness, and once again Ash's fire had been lit.

His blazed spirit was fitting of the current season, spring had bloomed, and was meeting the beginning of summer. The temperature had crept higher, and finally the group emerged, and there it was before them, Laverre City. A metropolis of mushrooms growing from all corners, small, traditional houses crowding around the huge tree that stood proudly in the middle of the city, much to the amazement of the group. The scenery was beautiful, the city was already sun-baked and gloriously teeming with golden leaves amongst the greenest of branches. "That's the gym!" Exclaimed Serena, and the group began running with joy towards the epicentre of the bustling, yet traditional city. The sheer size of the gym took their breath away, yet Ash straightened his hat, and made that confident grin that immediately told everyone he meant business. Ash had put his game face on, and the anticipation for his sixth gym badge had soared. Meanwhile Serena had a closer look at her guide.  
"Laverre... Named from the flower 'lavender'. Has connotations of purification, the easing of tension, and spread of calmness." She immediately felt more peaceful just by reading, and then turned her head to admire the amber-eyed boy as he approached the door. She took some time to think by herself for a bit, and deep thought pondered for a while.  
"The easing of tension... Maybe this time nothing will go wrong in my Showcase. Maybe then Ash will also begin to understand me, and realise what I simply cannot put into words. I wonder what he thinks about when he's not battling... The truth is, there's a lot I want to say, and there's a lot I've tried to do. Maybe he doesn't quite understand, or maybe he perhaps chooses not to understand..? I don't know if I sometimes overcomplicate things that can be so simple. I suppose you could say that about my last Showcase, when I overdressed Fennekin, and maybe it's the same with Ash. If I offered him my hand, I wonder what he would think... Would he doubt? Would he decline? I came so close during that 'date'. Was it a date? Maybe... not, maybe yes. No yes it was definitely a date!"  
The more she thought to herself the more she realised she was probably over-thinking the situation; but still, she remained naive to how quickly times can change in a matter of days.

Some things never change though, after all, there he was, marching towards the front door ready to bellow his voice across the room to whoever had the task of answering his pleas to battle. There was no stopping him once his sights were set. "Don't give up 'till it's over" he once said to her. The truth is, nothing is over with Ash, "maybe I should do the same" she thought.

"Hello-! I'm Ash from Pallet Town and I'd like to-" His proud announcement was drowned out by a sea of women passing boxes around frantically like the tide was coming in. You could see Ash's excitement vanish as if a candle had just been blown out. Suddenly the flame was gone, as bemusement struck to signify that maybe today wasn't going to be Ash's day.  
"Maybe there's an event or something going on later..." Serena gently said as she appeared behind Ash's shoulder. He dashed over to the counter to ask the receptionist if there was a chance he could battle, but his worst fears were immediately confirmed. He then slowly waltzed back to the group, and Serena couldn't help but smile at the dejection in his eyes. He had the excitement of a little boy, which Serena found adorably sweet.

Ash took his hat off and scratched his head for a bit, he didn't know what to do at this point. Bonnie took this opportunity to whiz off amongst the women to continue her quest for a suitable candidate to become Clemont's wife. The women were dressed in brightly coloured traditional kimonos, and certainly caught the attention of the young girl. Her energy was infinite as she dashed from one confused woman to another, bellowing a chorus of "S'il vous plaît!" each and every time. Her efforts were admirable, and so were Clemont's as he tried to catch his sister and save himself from any further embarrassment. Ash and Serena looked on at Clemont's woes from a distance, and could only laugh at his failings. While the other two were caught up in their own business, Serena galvanised on her rare opportunity with Ash.  
"There are always other things we can explore first in the city, Ash!" She said with open eyes to flatter him. He tried to force a smile, and looked back into her gazing eyes. "I suppose so..."  
"If it's okay with you, we can-" She pushed to release her potential date-creating-sentence but suffered more rotten luck with an interruption, it was the receptionist.  
"We're terribly sorry about the inconvenience caused. Today we are hosting a fashion show, hosted by Laverre City's very own gym leader, Valerie. You are very welcome to browse our exhibition ahead of tonight." she said in a calming voice. Serena put her hands together in glee, her eyes lit up in front of Ash to ask: "Can we look at the display?" It was at this point that Clemont returned with a sulking Bonnie caught in his Aipom arm.  
"You know you'll thank me for this one day..." Bonnie groaned.  
"And you'll thank me for teaching you that you can't suddenly propose to random people you've never met before. You need to charm them a bit first, obviously." He replied almost boastfully.  
"And you'll do that with your science?" She began to tease. Clemont adjusted his glasses.  
"Mhm, of course." he said with a smirk.  
Just as Bonnie was about to open her mouth a voice from afar conveniently intervened to prevent a domestic brawl from beginning.  
"The Lumiose City gym leader!"  
The group turned around to see a small green haired boy dashing towards them.  
"I recognise that face..." Clemont thought.  
"Gym Leader Clemont! It has been a while! What brings you here though?" the boy excitedly exclaimed.  
"I'm here learning and travelling with Ash. We are all travelling together." he politely replied.  
"Wow, it's a pleasure to meet you all! I'm Sawyer!" he introduced himself eagerly, he was smaller than Ash, Serena and Clemont but slightly taller than Bonnie and had the look of a beginning and naïve Pokemon Trainer. Everyone introduced themselves, however deep down in Serena's mind she was slightly flustered at how her chance with Ash alone had suddenly turned into a situation where the group had suddenly gotten bigger. Nevertheless though, she thought it was nice to meet a new trainer, who was keen to learn from Ash after Bonnie raved on about his gym badges and victory against Clemont. He seemed just as excitable as Ash, and so it wasn't any surprise that they hit it off instantly. Serena's sense of dejection began to linger; he's just met a new trainer, surely this means he wants to battle?  
"We're going off to look at the display ahead of tonight's fashion show. You guys coming?" Ash announced, he seemed to have claimed back some energy, but why would he be excited for a fashion show? Serena was suddenly alerted and taken back. Doesn't Ash want to go out to train and battle?  
"S-so we can go?" she quivered.  
"Sure! It's something you'll like, right?" Ash replied confidently. She suddenly had a burst of excitement and happiness. But those words, "It's something you'll like"... She blushed slightly. Maybe he was thinking about her after all.

Bonnie ran on up ahead, and Serena soon followed. Ash felt a small hint of satisfaction watching them go off like that, but couldn't help keep an eye on his battle tomorrow now that Sawyer was around to watch. The boys walked along behind them, and found a nearby bench to talk over battles, which Ash had been itching for so much he was probably getting withdrawal symptoms.

Up ahead Bonnie and Serena were surrounded by gorgeous dresses and kimonos. Braxien had come out of her PokeBall to browse with the girls.  
"Hey Serena I wonder what you should wear for your next Showcase?" Bonnie asked while examining an Umbreon-style dress.  
"There's so much to choose from! Maybe, something Ash would perhaps choose would be nice..." She said with slight hesitation. She was getting that warm feeling again, something she only felt when thinking about Ash. She turned around to see if he was there to ask his opinion, but him nor Clement or Sawyer could be seen. In the midst of their browsing, little did they know of two girls watching them from the curtains..  
"They'll do just fine." One said to the other, before disappearing back into the shadows.

The browsing girls then saw a certain Hawlucha swoop down from the sky and could not help but laugh upon realisation.  
"Oh Ash..." she thought to herself.

Ash was a dense character, but she knew that patience would eventually reward her. One way or another, she would make him notice.

"Maybe I should ask him later."

* * *

Author's Note: Thank you for reading the first chapter! Hopefully this is the first of many stories. This one I wanted to realistically keep in line with the current anime proceedings and so the first parts of the story are a bit of a slow-burner, and are going to be heavily based on the events of XY73. While maintaining the adventure element to the story, I also wanted to introduce a feel-good factor, as we're all ever so close to summer now. Hope you've enjoyed, and stay tuned for the next chapter where events begin to change..! If you could leave a review, I would really appreciate it!


	2. Innocent Eyes

Chapter 2- Innocent Eyes

"Excuse me, do you two both have a minute?"  
Two figures emerged from the shadows. Serena and Bonnie turned around in confusion.  
"Us?"  
"Yes, we hope we are not interrupting. But we would like to talk to you about something."  
The two mysterious girls led Serena and Bonnie towards a corridor not available to the public. Bonnie, as ever, was not phased by where the girls could possibly be leading them to, and was tugging at Serena's coat while gleaming in anticipation. Serena maintained a bemused look throughout their walk until they came to an abrupt halt by a room near a stream. The faint sound of water slowly trickling was accompanied by soft, inaudible murmuring. Serena gazed around, she was walking on old polished wood in a narrow corridor, the large windows allowed plenty of sunlight through, which shined in the direction of the room the two girls were waiting outside. Occasionally a small golden leaf would fall amongst the silence; Serena felt as if she had been taken out of her current time and led straight into another, Bonnie remained innocently intrigued in the strange environment. The two girls then abruptly halted and knelt down onto one knee- who could they possibly be calling for?  
"We hope we are not intruding, can we have a minute?" One asked in a gentle, formal tone.  
"Enter." the murmuring voice summoned them. Serena stood at the doorway in bemusement, but in the room, there she was before her. It was none other than Valerie herself. Serena was starstruck, and upon noticing her elegance was even more breath-taking in real life, struggled to pick her jaw back up off of the floor. In the midst of Serena's awe, Bonnie jumped in and pounced on her opportunity.  
"Valerie! Will you marry my-" Serena lashed in instantly before Bonnie could finish her sentence.  
Valerie could only have looked more confused if Bonnie had come in riding on some magical, dancing Ponyta.  
"Please f-forget that!" Serena intervened while waving her arms frantically. She then turned to Bonnie and stared with the most aggressive eyes that were waiting to erupt. She was adamant that _this_ opportunity would not be ruined.  
Valerie began to gradually walk closer to the pair of them, and took an immediate liking to Dedenne who had popped his head out to see what was going on. After a solid two minutes of them both conversing in some sort of Dedennese inside joke, she stood up straight to address Serena.  
"Unfortunately due to a mistake, we are running short of models for tonight's fashion show. Therefore I was wondering if you two were perhaps interested in fulfilling that role?" She said in an almost soothing voice. Her words lapped around Serena's mind, it was almost too good to be true! Bonnie's excitement levels once again maxed out as she had no doubts at all upon taking the stage.  
"C'mon Serena this is our chance! We're gonna be models!" She cried while bouncing up and down. Serena became nervous and started playing with her hair.  
"In front of everyone..?" She choked.  
"Of course. You don't have to if that's not your sort of thing, although it would be a great shame if you did refuse." Valerie seemed poised to ensure her fashion show would not be a let-down.  
"He might see me..." She said under her breath, which just happened to be in Bonnie-hearing territory.  
Bonnie grinned. "You mean Ash?"  
She panicked. "Bonnie!" she cried before fastening her hand over Bonnie's mouth. Valerie chuckled to herself briefly.  
"Is there a man to impress?" She closed in on Serena's uneasiness.  
"Uuh um no, it's nothing!" She tried to laugh it off, although Valerie's suspicions only began to grow.  
"In that case, allow me to show you what you will be wearing tonight." Valerie announced before heading off to the changing room.

"Maybe this could be a good idea..." Serena thought to herself while holding her hands close to her blue ribbon that she had received from Ash. She had treasured it so dearly that it soon became the focal point of her new attire- a symbol of their relationship. He had always remained unusually short of words when she had tried on a new dress, but maybe this would be the opportunity to really wow him. Her initial anxiety quickly became anticipation, but this kind of opportunity would have to be executed properly.  
"Keep this a secret until this evening, let's surprise them." Serena whispered into Bonnie's ear while winking. Bonnie replied with a grin; it was looking like the beginning of an interesting evening.

Meanwhile, Ash had led Sawyer and Clemont outside to his natural habitat, the battlefield. While they were oblivious to the girls' antics, Sawyer was keen to earn some experience in his first ever double-battle. In the opening exchanges Ash's Hawlucha had already learnt the sheer toughness of Bagon's head, and so Hawlucha hurled forward one more time to land multiple blows that eventually knocked Bagon off balance and into trouble as Ash found a breakthrough. The battle was beginning to hot up, just as Serena and Bonnie managed to arrive just in time for the action, still grinning from their previous top secret excursion.  
"We thought we'd come to watch, Ash!" she called as she arrived at the scene of Ash and Sawyer's match.  
"You seemed pumped up Serena, did you have a good time in there?" he replied back with a smile.  
" Oh yes! Tonight will be fun!" She was in an even brighter mood than in the morning, you could even say somewhat playful.  
Ash's attention remained fully on the heat of the battle, as the temperature began to rise, conditions became challenging for the first time after the cool spring months, and so the battle was becoming a test for both trainers.  
"Treecko use Bullet Seed on Frogadier!" the young green-haired trainer cried.  
"Counter them all with Cut!" the blue frog swiftly darted around the obstacles and slashed them out of harm's way before setting his target on the stationary Treecko that had no counter to the immense speed Frogadier was capable of . Like lightening he sped past Treecko while landing a critical blow, rendering Treecko unable to continue.  
"Treecko is unable to battle!" announced Clemont.  
"All right!" Serena and Bonnie cheered.  
"Do you still want to continue, Sawyer?" Ash gave him the choice.  
"Treecko may be down and out, but I've still got Bagon to use! Let's go!" The young trainer remained as confident and eager as ever, and so the battle continued.

The temperature was still climbing, and Ash had been gradually unzipping his jacket throughout the battle. It eventually got so hot that he had enough, and removed his jacket completely in order to keep cool. Serena instantly noticed the abandoned jacket on the floor and instinctively crawled out to retrieve it.  
"Okay Frogadier stay on standby, let's let Hawlucha have this one." Ash commanded.  
"Resume battling!" Clemont announced. His attention remained solely on the battle but just out of the corner of his eye he caught Serena gazing into Ash's jacket, the jacket he always likes to wear. It was coloured a powerful electric blue with white trim. The short-sleeves always showed off his tanned and muscular arms and really made him look quite the trainer. She had a huge grin on her face; at last, a part of him was hers! Clenching it tightly in both hands, she inhaled its fragrance deeply. That familiar, "Ash" smell. A sea-salt aftershave with a hint of masculine sweat from the labours of the day. She was so enticed she began to bury her head in it. Still, no one seemed to be looking, so she seized her opportunity and put on her crush's jacket. Ash and her were roughly the same height, yet she felt minuscule in it. His broad shoulders meant the jacket hung really loose on her, but it was still warm from when he was wearing it. She felt like she was being embraced by Ash's warmth and began to swing her arms around with glee, she had been waiting for this opportunity for a long time!

The action on the battlefield was relentless until Bagon had finally been worn down sufficiently.  
"It's time to finish it off, Hawlucha use Flying Press!"  
The Wrestling Pokemon stretched out its cape-like wings in anticipation for its big finale. It took a moment to soar up into the sky before taking aim, and then landed a direct hit on the helpless Bagon, kicking up a cloud of dust in the process. Once cleared, the result was never in doubt, the spirals in Bagon's eyes signalled the end of the battle, and a clear victory for Ash. Clemont formally announced Sawyer's loss, but the young trainer was too busy scribbling away in his notebook to feel down. Once he had finished, he then immediately noticed Serena enjoying herself in Ash's jacket and began to giggle. This then triggered Ash's attention, who had to double-take for a moment.  
"Doesn't Serena look cute in your jacket, Ash?" Bonnie said energetically.  
Ash smiled, and paused for a while.  
"She does look kinda cute I guess." he replied while rubbing his nose. He had a tendency to do that when he became slightly nervous, Serena had noticed. On those rare occasions like when he handed that ribbon to her, he seemed for once slightly cautious in his actions. He called her cute though, for the second time! Serena couldn't help but blush slightly. It was at that point though that Ash suddenly began to ponder his words for once. "Cute" was a word that rarely cropped up in his vocabulary. Did he really think about what he was saying? It seemed calling Serena "cute" had become something he was used to. Now Ash began to think. "Do I think Serena is "cute"? Suddenly his mind went blank. For the first time he realised that he had subconsciously reserved the word "cute" only for Serena. Ash felt his heart beat slightly speed up. He didn't know whether he was sick, hot or confused. For the first time Ash began to ponder his actions, and looked at Serena once more, who was wearing his jacket like a trophy. "Something's different.." He thought. But he couldn't quite state what.

Serena reluctantly handed the jacket back to its rightful owner, Ash himself had an unusual poker face on him though. He seemed stumped. Before the trainers could chat away in their post-match exchange, proceedings were suddenly halted by the sound of loud music playing in the distance. Bonnie poked Serena and reminded her of the night's plans. "They're already starting the sound check, we better get ready!" she whispered so that the others wouldn't find out. It was time to put the plan into action.  
"Now that you guys have finished, do you mind if we go back to the gallery for a bit? There's still so many amazing dresses we've got to see!" Serena said in her most forced 'normal' tone.  
"Uh, sure! We'll meet ya at the show!" Ash replied tentatively, failing to tell the difference between a smirk and a smile on Serena's face.

The two of them walked off at a rushed pace, once again leaving the boys alone. All of a sudden Sawyer had stars in his eyes.  
"Forgive me if it's a silly question, but is Serena your girlfriend, Ash?" Sawyer really looked up to him, even if he was now making things up. Clemont began to laugh. Ash's eyes suddenly widened. "Ahh! She's-"  
"It must be so cool getting to travel with your girlfriend all the time!" Sawyer didn't seem to take no for an answer.  
"What is he talking about?" Ash thought to himself, puzzled.

Up ahead, Serena and Bonnie were giggling to each other after the success of their secret.  
"Hope you like this surprise, Ash..!" Serena said to herself on her way to the changing rooms.

The music was getting louder and the temperature was beginning to cool. The sky had turned orange, and a real festival atmosphere had filled Laverre. The lights were on.

The night was beginning.


	3. Into the Night

Chapter 3: Into the Night

The sun had begun its descent and the sky became flushed with an orange veil. The music was gradually getting louder, and anticipation from the Laverre locals filled the air in the hope that they would see their local hero, Valerie, take the stage.

Serena peeked from behind the curtains to see the crowd beginning to increase in their numbers. There was no going back now. Out of the hundreds of grinning faces from down below, only one seemed to matter. She thought she would never in a million years make a decision based on love, but out of the blue, the chance came and she took it. As the crowd began to chant, Serena reflected on what she was about to do.

"I'm completely out of my comfort zone here... Yes I can perform with my Pokemon, but model? Everyone's looking, examining me..." The thought of being a model made her slightly uncomfortable.  
"What if I get that stare again? What does it even mean? Serena recalled the blank look of confusion she saw on Ash's face when she made her PokeVision video. While everyone else looked at her in amazement, Ash seemed to look well... Lost. Maybe there were some rusty cogs in his brain which were trying to get going again, maybe his idea of romance is _that_ out of tune.

"What if... What if he doesn't like it?" She pondered and became lost in her own thoughts.

"No. Ash has always stood up for me when I've tried something like this. After all, he was the only one who complimented me when I cut my hair... I wonder though... Will he realise what I'm trying to tell him?" She then began to wonder. "What do I want to tell him?"

There are a million ways to confess, and she dreaded the thought of every single one of them. She sat down and felt her stomach begin to churn, it was somehow becoming warmer again at the thought of Ash, but agitated at the thought of going out on the catwalk.  
"If I had the opportunity to tell him everything... What would I tell him..? I can't disguise the fact that ever since I saw him perform those heroics on TV I've been hopelessly infatuated. As soon as I saw him, I felt drawn to him. I felt like I needed to be beside him. It sort of just felt... Y'know, right. What is it... That confident grin, that gorgeous raven hair, that cute face he makes when he's asleep..." Serena then realised how odd it must have looked all of those times she couldn't get to sleep and went into Ash's tent to watch him for a few minutes. She couldn't help herself though. He looked so peaceful with Pikachu curled up beside him. It still always surprised her how he managed to go from complete silence to the bright and energetic boy he is in the mornings all the way through the day. Her face went a deep red the more she began to think. With Bonnie around, hiding these thoughts became impossible.  
"What's wrong Serena? Are you nervous?" Bonnie asked with a huge grin, she had positioned her face right in front of Serena's as the two were now eye level. There was no doubt she was itching to get outside.

"Uhh, no, I'm just preparing! Hey, do you think everyone will like our clothes?"  
"Of course! We look so cute, everyone will love us!"

"Everyone?"

"Yes, everyone! What's up? You're really red!

"Ohh it's nothing..." The more Serena began to deny, the bigger the hole she was digging herself into.

"It's something all right. Tell me! Tell me all of your secrets!" In the excitement of the night Bonnie had once again become hyperactive, and repeatedly prodded at Serena's shoulder so that she would speak. She became absolutely adamant that she would get an answer and Serena endeavoured to stay silent, despite how flipping annoying Bonnie's poking was becoming.

"Tell me tell me!" She chanted.

"No, you don't need to worry!" She said with a light smile.

"Of course, because I already know! Ahaha!" Bonnie stood up with pride.

"And I'm going to tell everyone!"

Wait, what?! How on earth did she find out?! Was Bonnie some sort of descendent of Sherlock Holmes? Was she a mind reader? What is this?! Serena smacked her hand over Bonnie's mouth and placed her other hand on her should to ensure she wouldn't run off anywhere. Her face had swelled to such a bright shade of red she looked as if she was on the brink of exploding.

"Al'right, but don't you dare tell anyone that this is all for Ash!" she stared the young girl down and tried to whisper. She was however so agitated that it became a loud and stern hiss. Bonnie's eyes widened. She cracked a huge, almost menacing smile.  
"So you do like Ash!" Bonnie cheerfully exclaimed.

"Wait, what?"

"It worked! I got you to say it even though I didn't actually know your secret!" Bonnie began to chuckle to herself. Serena looked dumbstruck, and suddenly generated a sweat drop large enough to wash every single person who came to watch her embarrass herself in public. "Way to go Serena, outsmarted by a girl not even old enough to legally train a Pokemon." She thought to herself, keeping secrets like this was harder than she initially expected.

By this time the announcer had already ventured out onto the stage, and the models lined up for when their cue would arrive. One by one they set off, and Serena felt as if they were abandoning her as she took her position. The crowd were already in a frenzy and so the pressure was on.

"This our little surprise okay?" Serena looked down at the grinning Bonnie. She nodded back with a big smile. The backstage organiser grabbed Serena by the shoulder in an assertive manner which jolted her even further out of her comfort zone.

"Okay now's your turn outcha go!" The organiser's words drilled into her head frantically, it was all happening so quickly.  
"Okay, stay calm. Good posture. Look cute." She repeated to herself in her mind. In the end she was overcome with emotions she would enter the frame with the whitest poker face imaginable. The curtain opened, the brightness of the stage met their eyes. It was time to meet the crowd.

Ash and co. meanwhile were standing near the front of the stage. After initially being delighted at their excellent view, they soon began to wonder where Serena had Bonnie had wandered off to.

"Gee I thought they would have wanted to see the start." Ash said in confusion.

"It's not like the two of them to be late like this. I wonder if something's wrong." Clemont sceptically replied.

"I wonder where the gym leader is..." Sawyer added, slightly bemused at his new surroundings.

Ash had watched the models come and go, with each and every one of them not having a lasting impact. The show was a bit of procession in the end for the raven-haired trainer. But then something happened that knocked him straight off of his feet.

It couldn't be them, could it?

"SERENA!"

"Bonnie!"

Ash and Clemont yelled in shock. Their voices hit Serena like a train.

Serena went pale for a moment and lost all of her thoughts she had backstage.

"Bonnie what are you doing up there?" Clemont questioned, still in a state of shock.

"What does it look like? We're modelling! Don't we look cute?" Bonnie joyfully replied with a twirl.

"But why are you modelling?!"

"Well it's a bit complicated, but in short, Valerie asked us to!" Bonnie cheerfully replied, giving a few more twirls to show off her dress.

"We uhh... Wanted to surprise you!" Serena gingerly added, her body language said it all, her arms were glued to her sides and she was shaking with nerves. While Clemont was pleading for answers, Ash stood there, perfectly still; not blinking; not moving. He had that stare. The thousand-mile stare. What was he thinking? Was anything actually going through his mind.  
Serena tried to face him, but why did he have to be so close to the stage? This has made everything so difficult! She didn't expect to have to, you know, _speak_ to him! She started playing with her hair.

"Um, how do I look.. Uum Ash?" she just about managed to conjure up with the gutsy question. Ash remained there, seemingly not noticing a thing, until his open mouth began to move slightly.

"You... look beautiful."

No one had ever heard Ash Ketchum speak this tentatively before. Absolutely no one. His words could just about be heard, but were hidden so far under his breath you'd have to ask yourself whether he actually said them or not. Something suddenly struck Ash. What on earth is going on? First "cute", and now the word "beautiful"? Where in the world was he pulling these phrases out? It's like his head opened up a dictionary and searched for the most flattering adjectives each and every time Ash tried to describe Serena. It was instinctive. It was natural. Was something in the air? Ash looked down to the ground, he didn't quite know what was going on at this point. He felt something. Something new. Puberty? Oh sweet Arceus anything but that. No, this was something odd, something warm yet cold from his lack of experience with it, Ash once again looked puzzled at himself.

Serena was speechless, and doubted whether Ash had really said that. She didn't know whether to blush, cry or faint, she had never been called 'beautiful' before. Sawyer meanwhile, once again had stars in his eyes.

"Wow Ash your girlfriend is a model too? You get to travel with gym leaders AND models, I'm so jealous!" He had clenched his fists in admiration for Ash, what a guy! This completely startled Serena though, and lit a small smirk on Bonnie's face.

"Girlfriend?!" Serena's voice soared to a pitch higher than ever before.

Before she could question any further, the sound of drums began to ominously ring around the stage. Valerie was about to make her appearance.

Serena and Bonnie rushed off the stage to make way for the star of the show, but Serena was caught in her thoughts all the way back to the changing rooms. She felt light headed, Bonnie didn't say a word for a while, but was fully aware that Sawyer thought they were boyfriend and girlfriend.

"Girlfriend..? Beautiful..? Me..? Ash..? All of these words, they don't make sense... Did that really just happen?" She thought to herself. "Does Ash think I'm beautiful?"

Serena always thought there was a higher chance of a Magikarp Splashing the living daylights out of Arceus to claim its title of Pokemon God than there was of Ash saying such a word. "No, you're making it all up, he doesn't say those sorts of things... Just act normal when you next see him." The truth is, she'd act differently now, there was no stopping her from thinking whether he said it or not. If only she could ask him. Ash meanwhile was trying to explain to Sawyer how they're not boyfriend and girlfriend, while trying to reflect on the fact that he just called a girl such a word. Serena wasn't just any "girl". Ash definitely felt different about her, but he still couldn't put a finger on what exactly he was feeling yet.

Eventually, Serena and Bonnie arrived back to the side of the stage, and the group were reunited again. By this time, Sawyer had already been summoned to take part in Valerie's on-stage battle, and was feeling the full force of fairy power against his Bagon. Serena stood next to Ash, but didn't say anything for a while, Ash too, he seemed to once again have a stare on him, only this time he seemed to be zoning out from the world around him. Serena tried to make conversation, and unsurprisingly, by using the correct topic- it worked!

"So Ash are you ready for your gym battle tomorrow?"

"You bet, she looks strong, but I'll find a way past!" he clenched his fists with confidence.

"I'll be supporting you..." She began to play with her fingers.

"Thanks! I would have cheered for you tonight had you not kept it a secret!"

She released a nervous laugh. "Oh you know... I wanted to surprise you..!"

"Surprise me huh..." She liked the way this was going.

"I wonder whether I can be surprising in the battle tomorrow..." Ash began to scratch his chin, while Serena wanted to punch herself repeatedly. Why was she surprised Ash suddenly started thinking about battling? It was almost her fault for forgetting. Still though, she had that one question... One question that could potentially change everything. Night-time had fallen, and the glow of the orange sky had faded into the navy of the night. Maybe amongst this huge crowd mentioning his earlier words wouldn't be such a good idea... Maybe later, she just had to get an opportunity alone with him, that's all she needed.

The show had by this time run its course, and Sawyer dejectedly thanked Valerie for the battle after his Bagon had fainted. Sawyer seemed hard on himself, and at dinner Ash reassured him that he'd by fine. The group sat and ate near a battlefield, and so it was inevitable Ash would get the urge to train. Serena kept one eye on him throughout the meal, and noticed he was eating at an extra fast pace, she tried to keep up, she hadn't given up on tonight yet.

"Don't be too hard on yourself, buddy. It was a difficult situation, and one you can use to improve upon for your next battle!" Ash reassured Sawyer with a hand on his shoulder. He had wolfed down his dinner, and fastened on his hat, he was off to train for his big battle. Before he got the chance to announce he was going outside, Clemont managed to pick up on Serena's antics.

"You must have been hungry after that modelling, Serena!" He said in a chirpy tone.

"Well, actually I wanted to go and see Ash train outside!" She said with a slight blush.

Ash seemed amazed for a moment that she knew exactly what he was up to, but it really wasn't that hard to guess.

"If you're training, may I come too?" Sawyer eagerly asked. Damn, looks like that 'alone time' wouldn't happen after all.

"Sure! Everyone can come!" Ash cheerfully announced.

While another one of Serena's plans failed to come into action, she sat there under the coolness of the night sky to ponder what she should do next.

"Right now he's fully focussed on his gym battle, so I guess there's nothing I can do right now... I must ask him. I have to to talk to him. Tomorrow. After the battle, win or lose, I'm going to be there. There's so much I have to ask, so much I want to say..."

She placed her hand on her heart.

"I have to tell him."


	4. Break of Battle

Chapter 4: Break of Battle

The weary night crumbled away, as the sun crashed through the clouds, roaring a new day into life. The morning cries of the native Kalos Pokemon signalled the end of a sleepless night for Serena, while Ash also endured similar problems.

As the midnight minutes passed she had thought countless times about what happened on stage. Whether it was all real, whether it was just her imagination. On the bed opposite, Ash was endlessly running through calculations and composing a strategy for his gym battle. His knew though, deep down he was trying put what happened at the fashion show behind him for a moment; still lost in his own bemusement. Ash was not going to forget about what is at stake today. He may have watched Sawyer lose to a dominant display by Spritzee, but was keen to be under no allusions in his quest for his sixth gym badge.

Serena knew how much this battle meant to Ash, so she decided to refrain from asking him anything at least until it was over. As always, she wanted to be there, on the sidelines, as his no.1 fan. Her cheers would be the loudest, her voice would be the most prominent, her worries would be the most heartfelt. Even when she was sidelined, she wanted to support him, just like she knew he would support her. Today would be a test of endurance for Serena, with moments of elation and devastation on the horizon- that was the reality of travelling with Ash.

The group awoke, but the amber-eyed trainer was nowhere to be seen. Serena sat upright on her bed, wondering if everything had just been some huge dream. Clemont went to look from the balcony of their room, and saw none other than their eager friend running laps in the nearby field, chased by his beloved Pokemon. They were more than just Pokemon to him, they were his friends, and their playful warm-up was reflective of the bond they all shared. Valerie may have the ability to speak the same language as her Pokemon, but Ash communicated through their hearts, something both Clemont, Serena and numerous gym leaders came to notice. Maybe today that bond would shine once more.

After the tiring few days they had already endured, the others elected not to join Ash in his energetic warm up, and instead waited for him. He rushed over to greet everyone.

"Morning! Everybody sleep well?" His tone was powerful, he was still jogging on the spot; Ash was sure pumped-up for today. Serena looked uneasy, but tried to laugh any angst off.

"I couldn't sleep- I think I must've had a weird dream last night!" She responded.

"Y'know me too, sometimes I wonder whether they actually happened or not!" Ash fired back. Interesting response. It was almost something Serena would have followed up with. Her eyes widened slightly, their morning exchange only made her more confused. Was he trying to forget everything?!

The group headed to the gym, the huge tree situated at the heart of Laverre. The doors ominously opened to reveal the four girls from the fashion show waiting for them. The lead one had a confident grin on her face, these trainers were not used to seeing their gym leader dominated. Ash led the way in, and adjusted his hat, he was now in the zone, and ready to face Valerie. He began to slowly wiggle his backpack off on his way to the battlefield, where Clemont gave Serena the look to suggest it was her turn to carry his backpack. She gracefully accepted it, took her seat in the stands and watched as her raven-haired soldier marched off into battle.

Ash took his place in his box, and waited for his opponent to arrive. Silence hit the room, until the lights faded, and the elegant veil of cherry blossom petals began to accumulate to foretell the imminent arrival of his opposite number. The lights returned, and standing there before him, was Valerie.  
"So Ash, welcome. I hope you're well prepared for today's battle." She confidently called.

"You bet, I can't lose!" His eyes were lit and his fists clenched, it was typical of Ash.

"So I've heard things about you... Shall we begin?" She teasingly offered the beginning of the battle, Serena from the stands heard her remark, and shuddered for a second. The battle had suddenly become rather uncomfortable for her.

"Both trainers will each use two Pokemon! Once both are unable to battle, the battle will be over!" The announcer declared. A simple two-on-two.

"Now then, come forth, Sylveon!" Valerie gracefully revealed her first Pokemon.

From the stands, Sawyer watched in awe as the gym battle started to come to life.

"Okay Treecko, watch carefully, this way we can gain some experience!" He said to his partner.

Serena reached into her bag. "You watch too Braxien, let's cheer him on!" Braxien leaped out its PokeBall in anticipation.

"Sylveon huh... Pikachu, I choose you!" The yellow mouse suddenly brightened up and ran onto the field for its battle. "Okay buddy, let's do this!" He channel his faith into his partner from day one.

"Now then, begin battling!" The call bellowed across the room and the battle had begun! Serena clenched her hands together with nerves, Clemont and Bonnie both were in deep focus of proceedings.  
"Pikachu, let's begin with Volt Tackle!" Pikachu coated itself in a cloak of electricity and charged forward to the stationary Sylveon, dealing a direct blow on turn one. Sylveon took a fair amount of damage but refused to move a muscle when Pikachu attacked. Valerie smirked and ordered Sylveon to gain momentum and sprint around the battlefield. Pikachu tried to keep a close eye on its movement, but the speed was too quick to track, and before long Sylveon had gained territory behind Pikachu, and sneaked up behind it to catch it off-guard.  
"Now... Sweet Kiss!" Pikachu turned around but it was too late, as it had already fallen into the clutches of Sylveon's move. Ash stepped back in disbelief at Sylveon's speed. Pikachu had become confused, and suddenly its movements became rash and dangerous.

"This isn't good, Pikachu will now have to wait until it gains consciousness again before it can land a direct hit like before!" Clemont remarked.

"Now grab onto it!" Sylveon extended its feelers and took possession of Pikachu. In the midst of its confusion, Pikachu soon found itself tossed around in circles, and smashed repeatedly on the hard ground. It was taking horrific damage, and Ash began to sweat under the heat of the moment. Pikachu was being controlled. Serena picked up Ash's backpack, held it tight, and then hid behind it in fear. Valerie looked up and immediately took notice and Serena's eyes peeping from his backpack. She let out a laugh, reflecting her position of control in this battle. Ash was too caught in watching Pikachu get flung around to notice Valerie's teasing.

"Pikachu snap out of it! You've gotta wake up!" His words took long to reach Pikachu, but he was persistent, and shouted at the top of his voice so that his friend would hear his call. Pikachu's eyes suddenly opened, and it shook its head to awaken itself from its state of confusion.

"Quick, now use Thunderbolt!" A sudden burst of electricity travelled down Sylveon's feelers, hit, and broke the grip. Pikachu was freed. Sawyer looked on in awe, Clemont smiled in approval, Bonnie cheered in delight, and Serena relaxed her grip on his backpack in relief.

"Pikachu you've gotta track its movements!" Ash commanded from afar, focus was the key to this battle.

"Moonblast!" Sylveon summoned a cloud of pink energy, and sent it hurling towards Pikachu. It had aimed just as Pikachu was near the corner of the battlefield, so Pikachu had little room to manoeuvre once the huge beam of light came darting towards it. A direct hit, and a cloud of smoke kicked up and blurred the battlefield, doubt and confusion descended upon both Ash's and Valerie's supporters. Valerie herself was smirking. Silence struck, as the dust eventually cleared. Serena hid behind her bag, and hoped she wouldn't hear the dreaded words. But she did.

"Pikachu is unable to battle! Sylveon wins!" It had been a knock out on Pikachu. A disastrous loss for Ash. He rushed out to pick up his injured friend, and felt weak as Valerie stood there watching. He gently placed him on the side to rest. In the midst of Ash's initial loss, Serena wondered what was inside Ash's backpack that she planted her face into. Something hard, something sharp. No one was watching, not even Braxien. Everyone was too drawn on the battle. No... she couldn't look inside. But once again she had found herself holding something of Ash's. She felt like another part of him was hers once more. "One look won't hurt." She thought to herself. She slowly opened the zip so that no one would hear, and sent her hand searching to find the hard object. It was a book, or a journal to be exact. "Ash's Kalos Journal" It said at the top. She slowly pulled it from his backpack, but an entire cluster of photos soon dribbled out. She scurried to collect them all up again. Photos of every moment of his journey. The whole group together; she felt the slightest hint of nostalgia at some of their adventures, including _that_ photo where she managed to get so close to him when they were with Korrina. She had actually made two copies of that photo, one where she cropped the rest out, so that it was just the two of them, standing there close, happy. Ash was just about to pull out his next Pokemon, she panicked that someone would see. She wanted to know what he would write. She wanted to know what he thinks about. Like a ninja she transferred the journal from his bag to hers. He wouldn't miss it for a day now would he?

Ash didn't look dejected at the fact he was already one down. He reached into his pocket, and confidently revealed his second, and final Pokemon.  
"Frogadier, I choose you!". The blue frog took centre spot. With its swift, and nibble movements, it would most definitely give Sylveon a huge run for its money.

"A good choice, this way Ash can control the pace of the battle, and hopefully take control." Clemont once again seemed approving of Ash's choice, while Sawyer scribbled down more observations into his notebook.

"Sylveon, Dazzling Gleam!" The fairy type took its stance and sent a barrage of light sprinting towards Frogadier at speed.

"Quick, dodge!" Frogadier's pace was immediately noticeable as it danced past every obstacle in its way, gaining more speed until it became a blue blur. Suddenly, it vanished seemingly into thin air. In a move reminiscent of his battle with Sawyer it had leaped high into the air, ready to pounce. Sylveon had nowhere to run now.

"Water Pulse go!" From its hand it summoned a wave of water, allowed time to maximise its power and sent a torrent of water rushing towards the helpless Sylveon. A huge hit, with water splashing across the area, Sylveon looked to be on the ropes.

"Don't stop, Aerial Ace!" Before Sylveon had time to dry itself Frogadier flashed before it, and in an instant it was over. Ash's idea of controlling the pace had prevailed, as without sustaining a hit, Ash and Frogadier had levelled it up. Frogadier looked back at Ash who cheered at his fantastic performance. Out of the corner of Frogadier's eye he saw Braxien smiling with relief. Serena too looked pale from worrying, but relieved that the battle had swung back to equal terms. The two Pokemon made eye-contact, causing Frogadier to blush slightly. Braxien stood back in surprise, and replied with an even bigger smile than before. Frogadier was now pumped-up even more. Valerie found the situation very amusing.

"You really are full of surprises Ash, it certainly is cute!" Ash stood firm, oblivious to Frogadier's eye contact with Braxien.

"But now a surprise for you... Spritzee, come forth!" The small fairy came dancing out of its PokeBall. What tricks would it have up its sleeve Ash wondered.

"Water Pulse once more!" Ash commanded, but upon releasing the next wave of water, Spritzee elegantly swayed away from the oncoming attack, and made it look effortless in dodging. Valerie tightened her focus. "Trick Room." They were two mere words, but the effects would be devastating. All of a sudden a blue box imprisoned both Pokemon, and the speed advantage of Frogadier instantly vanished. Ash had seen this once before, a very long time ago in the Sinnoh league, he remembered how difficult it would be to overcome it. "Try to dodge, Frogadier!"

"It's no use!" Clemont explained. Bonnie looked concerned. "This effect will only make dodging useless, as Spritzee will be too fast!" He explained with angst. Serena couldn't bare to watch. "Ash will overcome it, he can do it. I know he can." She repeatedly thought to herself, but she had been in such doubt out everything the past couple of days that she didn't really know what to think about anything any more.

"Moonblast!" In an instant another surge of energy chased and hit Frogadier, who crashed against the barrier of the Trick Room.

"Water Pulse maximum power!" Frogadier took a huge intake of breath and produced his biggest surge of water power yet, but still despite the crashing waves, Spritzee dodged it with ease. Sweat began to drip from Ash's face, concern on Serena's. Frogadier's ability was being undermined by the Trick Room, and Spritzee was fully in control.

Serena was struggling to withstand it all. She leaned over the balcony from the stands.

"Ash... I believe in you!" She yelled at the top of her voice. "What did I just do?" She suddenly thought to herself, her voice had echoed across the entire room. All attention had diverted to her, including Ash's. His eyes slightly widened, he had never heard her shout like that before. Then it hit him. It him again. That feeling. Valerie smirked. Frogadier stood there in a trance to the supporting duo of Serena and Braxien, while her partner didn't shout, the blue frog seemed to understand the fox's concern in its eyes. Spritzee looked on, ready to end it all. Valerie began to speak.

"Come on then, Ash. I'm waiting. More importantly, she's waiting.

Make your move."

* * *

 _Author's Note: Just wanted to say thank you all for reading up to this point! Especially want to thank those who have left such nice reviews, it means a lot! Now, moving onto chapter 5, how will Ash's gym battle end? How will Serena react?_


	5. Decisions

Chapter 5- Decisions

Ash stood there in deep thought. The crowd looked on in silence with Serena particularly tense, as the barriers of the Trick Room prevented Frogadier from moving at any speed at all.

"Spritzee, Gyro Ball!" Valerie called, Spritzee immediately curled up into a ball, and began darting across the battlefield, gaining momentum and moving at a speed that Frogadier simply couldn't track. Everywhere it looked, the motion of the pink blur quickly disappeared; until it eventually met its target, and struck a critical hit that rammed Frogadier right against the wall.

"Hang in there Frogadier!" Ash cried, it was a case of waiting for the opportunity to arrive. Whether the Trick Room disappeared or the chance to hit appeared, he had to be patient. Frogadier had already taken quite a bit of damage, but was hanging strong.  
"Gyro Ball once more!" Again Spritzee pinballed between the barriers, and Frogadier this time had to prepare. Suddenly, Ash thought of something. His adjusted his hat, and in trademark style wiped his nose, something had clicked. It was his turn to shine.

"Fill the field with Water Pulse now!" Frogadier nodded and sent a series of waves surging across the cramped battlefield. Eventually it caught Spritzee in its tracks and slowed its pace.

"Now divert it into your path!" The beam of water enveloped Spritzee completely, and soon sent it rushing towards Frogadier head on.

"Now prepare to send it soaring with Cut!" Frogadier's arm soon became an extended, sharp blade, waiting to meet its target. Spritzee arrived at speed, but Frogadier slashed it and struck multiple times to send it hurling towards the wall with a mighty crash. The Trick Room barrier began to look shaky, and Ash capitalised on this opportunity with another Cut, not only dealing further damage but then destroying the Trick Room completely, smashing it into a million shards. Valerie looked on in shock as her strategy shattered before her very eyes. It was the first time that her supporters had seen such a thing. A huge gasp rung out around the arena. Now Ash was on top, and Frogadier had its speed advantage back.

"We're not down yet. Moonblast!" Valerie ordered Spritzee forward further, but Frogadier had already begun sprinting at full speed towards the faltering Spritzee. The fairy fired the horde of energy towards Frogadier, but the fast frog formed two blades this time, and sliced straight through Spritzee's attack. He was in. This time, there was no surviving the double Cut, with an almighty slash, Spritzee fell to the ground having suffered another crucial blow. Silence descended once more. Valerie bowed her head, she already knew the result. The others looked on, but Spritzee didn't move, and the spirals in its eyes called time on the battle. The announcer looked on in disbelief, was she about to call Valerie's loss? The gym leader gave the nod.

"Um... Spritzee is unable to battle. Frogadier wins, and the victory goes to Ash from Pallet Town!" the loud call sent his friends delirious. "He did it!" Bonnie cheered while jumping for joy with Dedenne. Ash rushed towards Frogadier and lifted him in the air. They had done it! The contrast of joy and shock sent everyone delirious, but Serena... Serena was more than joyous. She rushed down the stairs from the stands and sprinted towards Ash. He had no time to look behind him before she suddenly ran up to him, and devoured him in her arms. She had out of nowhere, hugged him. Both arms, around his body. The two would've looked quite romantic, had Frogadier's head not been so awkwardly placed in between them. Frogadier himself looked down to see Braxien blushing slightly after his momentous victory. Feeling left out, Braxien wrapped its arms around the group. Bonnie didn't want to be left out of the fun, so she came and jumped on top of all of them. The weight of her sudden leap proved too much, and the happy hugging group fell to the floor in a bundle. Clemont and Valerie could only watch on in amusement.

"They certainly are an amusing bunch; but cute don't you think?" Valerie uttered to Clemont. It may have been one gym leader to another, but he certainly seemed baffled at her remark.

"Serena does seem to have a lot to get off her chest I suppose." he responded with a a laugh. You could feel the relief in the air. Well, relief was one thing, outright admiration was another. Sawyer rushed over to Ash and tried to recover him from the pile.

"Ash are you in there? You've got to tell me how you did that? How did you hold out so long in the Trick Room? How did you counter Sylveon's feelers like that with Pikachu? C'mon you've gotta tell me! Are you in there?" Sawyer tried his best to summon Ash for questioning, but he was too busy being stuck under a pile with Bonnie, Serena, Frogadier and Braxien. His hand attempted to crawl out, while a helpless voice from within cried "I'll tell ya later!"

Just as Ash was beginning to emerge from the pile, Valerie stepped forward with the badge. He had been given such a close run for this one, but that made it all the more satisfying.

"You were a wonderful challenger, Ash. Your bonds with your Pokemon were not only strong, but charmingly amusing, too. I wish you success in your future battles, and of course, with that special someone." she said with a slight smirk at the end. She watched as in the midst of Ash's obliviousness Serena went bright red and hid behind Ash. The victorious amber-eyed trainer gazed into his newly earned badge, and saw his glorious grin in the reflection of it. He held it up in delight. He had won the Fairy Badge!

His celebrations were however cut short by the sound of clapping in the distance. It was a middle-aged man, seemingly very cheery, who had been watching the whole battle from high in the stands. He approached Ash and co.  
"Why, that was the first time I've seen anyone overcome Valerie like that for a while! In fact, I've been around a bit in my time, and that battle was remarkable!"

"Are you by any chance..?" Ash seemed to very vaguely recall a face of the past.

"Yes, I am Mr. Sukizo, the President of the Pokemon Fan Club!" He proudly announced.

Serena gasped. "I think I've heard you before! You were on the judging panel in Pokemon Contests across Kanto, Hoenn and Sinnoh!

"Yes, and I am also here in Kalos now, running the Fan Club which just happens to be in Laverre City! It would be truly remarkable to see you and your Pokemon visit tomorrow, Ash. Your bonds with your Pokemon are a shining example of what raising Pokemon is all about!" Mr. Sukizo gracefully said. Ash paused for a minute, and looked around to see what the others thought. No one seemed to object. "Sure, we'd love to come visit!" He cheerfully replied.

"Remarkable! Well, I will see of you tomorrow!" Mr Sukizo gave a wave before taking his leave.

"Does he always have to say 'remarkable'?" Bonnie looked irritated.

"I'm afraid so... Tomorrow will be a good experience for all of us. It will be a good chance for Sawyer to learn how to really connect with his Pokemon." Clemont reassured.

The group bid their farewells to Valerie and her girls before setting off. Interestingly however, Serena looked around and received a wink from Valerie. She knew. Serena hoped that they wouldn't have an unexpected encounter, she could clearly see her affection. Ash was grinning all the way back to the Pokemon Centre, gazing at his new acquisition. Serena still felt slightly embarrassed at how she reacted after his victory, but was relieved that it was finally all over. Now her chance would arrive, she would now be able to catch Ash in a good mood, and start to talk over her feelings. She had felt everything had been brewing up until this point. She had kept her emotions in tact for the entire journey, and it just seemed like once Bonnie knew, everything would inevitably come flooding out. She wanted to save the awkwardness for when it was just the two of them, alone.

The afternoon consisted of Ash repeatedly teaching Sawyer basic battle styles, while Serena gave Braxien and Pancham a good clean. The Showcase was two days away, so while it was fine to visit the Fan Club tomorrow, she had to make sure she got some preparation done. At least her dress was sorted, that was one less worry. It had been a tiring day, on a physical and emotional level. The increasing temperature meant everyone was slightly more worn out than usual, and then of course the battle earlier had drained everyone, especially Serena after Ash looked to be in a pinch. This didn't stop Ash from scoffing his evening meal down though. She smiled across the table, but ate normally. She was patiently waiting for her chance. Either way, she still had his journal, and was looking forward to her opportunity to read it during the night.

Once the day had run its course, the group returned to their room on the first floor. The view from the balcony gave a glimpse of the infinite sky, as the clouds had dispersed, allowing the stars to shine through. Sawyer's energy from earlier had come to an abrupt end, and he quickly fell asleep on top of his bed. Clemont had taken Bonnie to bed early, she started to play up when she was tired.

"I'm going to put Bonnie to bed, goodnight you two. Congratulations on your victory today, Ash!" Clemont cheerfully said before carrying Bonnie away. Serena then realised it was time, it was like a light-bulb had switched on above her head, it was just Ash and her awake, with the night sky watching over them. "I should really give his journal back..." she thought. "But he can surely last a day without it!" He didn't seem to have the energy to do any more writing after today, so she would saviour the moment that she could spend alone, reading her crush's thoughts.

She stepped out onto the balcony to reflect on a dramatic couple of days. The night had cooled the sun's harsh rays off. The sound of Nincadas harmoniously rung around the surrounding forest. She stood in silence, but to her surprise, Ash came out and joined her. The balcony wasn't big, so he was standing very near. The two were close, unusually close. It was the first time they had been alone together like this.  
"Some sky out tonight huh!" Ash softly started the conversation. Even when speaking gently, you could feel the energy in his tone.

"Yeah... Everything's calm now." she responded, but Ash didn't immediately follow up. He seemed to be in deep thought. Ash was once again feeling something. That warmness. He was close to Serena, and somehow it felt... nice. Serena slowly stepped closer towards him.

"I'm sorry about being so loud earlier today, Ash." she let out an embarrassed laugh. He smiled.

"No, I liked it. Your support means a lot."

"I'm sorry that I suddenly ran and hugged you like that too." she said more tentatively. This time he laughed, and scratched his cheek. He opened his mouth, but didn't know what to say. He couldn't put what he was thinking into words. He certainly didn't feel she should be apologising.

"Frogadier got a shock from it too!" He tried to crack a joke to prevent any more awkwardness in his voice.

"Don't worry, I won't hug you like that again then." She had time to play, Serena went fishing. Ash then suddenly looked at her in the eyes. She had got a bite. The sight of his gazing amber eyes was somewhat soothing, but for once she could feel a sense of uneasiness in him. She blushed slightly, and started to play with her hands. Everything about his expression seemed to scream "no", but his mouth just couldn't bring itself to say the word. He turned back to the night, and rested his hands on the cool banister of the balcony. Serena felt her stomach twist and turn and make all sorts of noises, it was a collection of so many different nerves. She then joined Ash in resting her hands on the banister, and looked up to the night. There was so many stars, it was like they were watching them, waiting for something to happen, almost encouraging them.

"Look at those stars there! They're shaped a bit like Frogadier!" He pointed to the sky in excitement.

"Those there too! They look like they're forming Braxien's shape!" Her nerves had eased slightly, as she pointed in the same direction. They put their hands back down onto the banister, but this time it was much warmer than when they had left it. They both simultaneously looked down, and saw their hands touching. Immediately, they panicked and pulled themselves away. They looked up again, to see each other's faces sizzle a bright red. Ash had never known Serena to blush like this before. Serena had never known Ash to genuinely blush out of embarrassment before. Silence struck.

"It's getting a bit cold out here." Serena tried cut the tension, but both Ash and her knew it was a lie. He went along with it though, not quite in tune with what he was really feeling.

"Sure... Shall we go back inside? Careful not to wake everybody else though." He whispered. The two gingerly returned to the warmth of their room, where Clemont, Bonnie and Sawyer were all fast asleep. The two attended to their own beds. Serena fluffed her pillows. Darn. She had three but only needed two. Oh the problems of such luxury! She laughed at her little problem that seemed so alien after all of those nights camping in the wild. She crept over to Ash to see if he wanted the extra pillow, he had worked so hard to win his badge after all, he needed an extra good night's sleep. Upon approaching his bed she realised he was lying face down completely still. He had only fell on his bed and instantly fallen asleep. The duvet was still half pulled. He must have just closed his eyes and completely dozed off. She quietly laughed to herself. It was adorable. He had one arm still dangling over the side of the bed. "Better not wake him." she thought. She couldn't resist herself in gently lifting his arm back onto the bed, and slowly pulling the duvet over him fully to keep him warm. She sat down and watched him peacefully sleep for a few moments. He didn't move an inch. As he was in such a deep sleep, she reached out her hand and very tenderly caressed his back. His body heat was welcoming, she thought how she could sit there and do it all night. She quickly realised that she too needed sleep, and stood up to return to her bed.

"Goodnight, Ash..." she whispered into his ear. She just about made out a glimpse of a smile forming. She got into bed and sat upright, before gazing across the room to see her friends all sleeping peacefully. Suddenly it struck her. The moment she had been waiting for. The aloneness. She hesitantly pulled out his journal from her backpack, hoping the zip wouldn't wake anyone. The slightest sound felt like an engine growling on full revs, the silence of the night amplified any movement she made. Eventually she had it. She had it tight in both hands, and opened to the first page.

"Now Ash, let's see what you've got written in here..."

* * *

 _Author's Note: I hope you guys appreciated the slightly different take on his gym battle! Things are starting to look interesting. I wonder how they'll get on at the Fan Club? More still, I wonder how Serena will do in her Showcase with this all going on in the background! If you could leave a review I would be very grateful. Until the next chapter... "Fun and Games"..._


	6. Fun and Games

Chapter 6: Fun and Games

Serena sat up in bed with her heart pounding as she began to open Ash's journal. She was being sneaky, and a surge of adrenaline kept her senses awake to anyone potentially waking up. She opened up the journal, and was immediately humoured by page upon page of doodles and sketches of Pokemon clashing together in the midst of huge explosions. Upon closer inspection, she realised they were the many tactics he was considering for his gym battles. Still though, they were cute. She particularly liked the one of Froakie dancing through the various stones being pelted at him from the battle at the Cyllage Gym. She then remembered who gave him the ideas for his real battle. She flicked through the sketches, until she finally found his written work. Some days were missing, while others had brief notes. She then began to turn to the days where they first met again, and found an entire page, full of paragraphs on what happened. She then noticed Bonnie tossing and turning from the other side of the room, and quickly fetched her torch, and hid under the duvet so that no one could see her. She then scanned through the entire record of his journey, and began to gradually realise just exactly what Ash thought of her.

" _5th February 2015:_

Serena helped me a lot today. Although I don't have much to give her in return, so I hope she likes that ribbon.

12th February 2015:

It was awful to see Serena so upset with herself like that, but I know she can bounce back. She's strong. It was really nice to see her wear the ribbon I got her, she looks cute with her new hairstyle."

She noticed the large ink splodges near the word "cute" where he must have been tapping his pen on the page as he wondered what to write. Maybe he was really considering what he thought. She then turned to the what he had been writing most recently. He had only written one entry in the past few days- the night of the fashion show. She began to read, and her jaw slowly dropped.

" _21st May 2015:_

 _Today I got to meet Sawyer, and did a lot of training for the upcoming gym match. The gym leader looks strong. It's been a good day, but recently I've been feeling kinda funny. I keep getting this warmness, this feeling in my stomach. I think it's when I'm around Serena. We went to a fashion show, where Bonnie and her suddenly surprised us by taking part. Serena asked me what I thought of her dress and without even thinking I called her "beautiful". I don't know what happened. I'm confused. I always thought of her as a friend, but suddenly now it feels like it should be a bit different. I feel like I should be with her. That feeling... I'm probably just ill. Can easily catch a cold in Laverre's Nature Trail. But still, it's not a bad feeling... I wonder if she feels the same?"_

She felt shocked to read about Ash thinking so extensively. She now realised that Ash's look of bemusement was because he himself didn't know what was happening. If anything, his journal started to ask more questions than it actually answered. A "warm" feeling... "Different" from being friends... Maybe he was beginning to like her. No, no, no he can't possibly? Enough. She had to resolve this, as now he too was beginning to get confused. The two of them could not go on like this, she had to talk to him properly. This was the biggest chance she had yet, as he was beginning to warm to her- the Showcase.  
"I'll do my absolute best, and then I will talk to him. One on one, I... I have to confess." She prepared herself mentally for a nerve-racking couple of days. After the Showcase she would talk to him, and she was serious. She slowly reached for her pen, and turned to the day of her Showcase where she was flattered to find that he had already penned it in. It was under where he had already written that she got to work... Serena was pulling out all of the stops, and began to write in Ash's personal diary. Without considering the consequences, she almost ruthlessly placed her feelings onto paper.

Satisfied with what she had written, she sharply shut the journal, and placed it back into her bag; it wasn't worth the risk of getting up and possibly waking Ash or anyone else. She smiled, she knew she would very soon get the opportunity to talk to Ash properly. With that thought in mind, she tucked herself into bed, and sailed off to a peaceful sleep, until the new morning dawned.

"Rise and shine Serena! You're the last to get up today!" An intruding voice began to get louder and louder. It was Clemont, speaking in a calm, but slightly surprised tone. She must have been in a deep sleep. Bonnie was already bouncing around the beds while Ash was downstairs waiting with Sawyer, still full of questions about the gym battle.

"Sorry, I must have overslept slightly." She replied while rubbing her eyes.

"You must have been tired last night!" Clemont once again seemed cheery, he had impressive patience.

"These last few days have been particularly exhausting, although today will be fun, right?"

"Yes! It will be a nice break from our recent travelling and battling. Mr Sukizo is also said to be quite talented at reading Pokemon's thoughts, so it will be interesting to see what he thinks of our Pokemon." He explained. Serena got up, and began to lay out her clothes. She was relieved that today everyone would get a small break from their training. Despite this, there was no forgetting the fact that her Showcase was tomorrow, and so she had to ensure her mind didn't dwindle.

Once the group had packed, Serena quickly registered her entry for the Showcase, and the group set off to Kalos's one and only Pokemon Fan Club. After walking down the narrow streets for a few minutes, they came across the small house-like building of the Fan Club. Ash confidently took the first step towards the door to knock, until none other than Mr Sukizo himself suddenly whipped it open, to reveal a crowd of excited Pokemon enthusiasts waiting to meet Laverre City's latest successful challenger. The group were startled, it was almost as if Sukizo had been standing there waiting for them all morning. Regardless of which they gingerly walked in, and were gob-smacked at how it was possible to fit so many people into one small building.

"Welcome Ash and friends! Please sit down and make yourself at home!" Mr Sukizo warmly announced. The group tentatively tried to sit down and act natural, but were struggling in such an atmosphere, with a large gathering of people staring at them in awe. One person from the crowd broke the silence and took the chance to fire a question at Ash, who was being treated like a celebrity.  
"Ash tell us how you broke Valerie's famous Trick Room!" Ash suddenly looked around and tried to think of an answer. Sawyer, sitting opposite, armed himself ready with his notepad and pen.

"Uhh well-" Before he could get in his answer, he was stampeded with questions from all across the room. Bonnie looked on in bemusement while Clemont was cheerfully laughing at his friend's attention. Serena shuffled slightly closer to Ash on the sofa, she didn't want to be singled out in this frenzy of a crowd.

"What a remarkable amount of questions! One at a time everyone. First, why don't you and your friends show us your Pokemon, Ash?" Sukizo sat down with the group. Ash and co. looked around, smiled at each other, grabbed their PokeBalls and let everyone come out. Now joining Pikachu in the room were the other Pokemon, all bewildered with the huge crowd watching on, who responded with a large gasp to see so many.

"This is truly remarkable!" Bonnie was getting annoyed now.

"Where do we start? Well let's go around everyone else's first and then come to Ash." Mr Sukizo scanned around each Pokemon and began to lecture the crowd on their unique traits. He ranged from Sawyer's inexperienced, but trustful bond with Treecko, to Chespin's carefree nature, all the way to the ambitions of Serena and Pancham. In the middle of his lecturing, he briefly paused, and grinned at Frogadier and Braxien standing close together. He stood up, and looked around at his audience. Clemont raised an eyebrow.

"As you can see, every Pokemon reflects some aspect of a trainer's personality! What's the most interesting, is the bond between Frogadier and Braxien!" Serena's eyes widened, the group were not expecting this. Frogadier and Braxien looked at each other as they struggled to work out what he meant, but upon looking they both began to blush slightly, Frogadier began scratch his head.

"As you can see by their expressions, Ash's Frogadier and Serena's Braxien have a very strong affection for each other!" Ash looked on with the same puzzled face as before, while Frogadier, Braxien and most notably Serena began to gradually sizzle in a deep red from blushing. Surely he couldn't continue?... He continued.

"I wonder who they get those feelings from hmm?" He posed the question rhetorically to the audience who began to laugh. He had rallied the crowd into a frenzy, and were now expecting a response from both Ash and Serena. Ash suddenly realised what he was suggesting and began to sweat in the embarrassment. He tried to laugh along while scratching his cheek, but looked over at Serena, who in front of the laughing crowd was trying to bury her head in her vest, her eyes looked up and had also flushed a deep red, almost looking at Ash with dread. It was a nightmare scenario. When their eyes made contact she would quickly bury her head further away from sight. She wanted the attention to stop, she wanted to leave as quickly as possible. Bonnie had suddenly caught drift of the rhetoric, and started take notice of Ash and Serena interacting with each other more than ever before.

"So they _are_ boyfriend and girlfriend!" Sawyer beamed at his discovery but Ash once again looked over to try and make him understand. The entire situation was turning into a huge exaggerated claim by Mr Sukizo. Serena felt angry, she felt as if it had all been set up. It had been an awful morning, Serena waited for her face to calm down and stood up.

"Um thank you for inviting us over, but we have to go, Ash needs to prepare for his next gym battle and I have to prepare for my next Showcase, so excuse us!" Serena said with hurried angst. She seemed rushed to call Braxien and Pancham back to their PokeBalls and head for the exit. Mr Sukizo watched on as the crowd let out a shared groan. Bonnie, galvanised by the next revelation between Ash and Serena, joined the group and skipped towards the exit.

"See you next time, it was remarkable to be here!" Bonnie cheekily copied his phrase, Mr Sukizo replied with an evil stare, as he watched the phrase-thief depart.

It had been a fascinating morning from Clemont's perspective, one which amounted to too much for Serena, who looked upset with what had happened. Ash seemed fine, once again his armour of obliviousness appeared to kick in, but on the inside what was he really thinking?

It was to be a long afternoon for Ash and Serena.

"So Ash do you feel the same towards Serena as Frogadier does towards Braxien?" Bonnie circled around Ash like a bee, she was fired up after the morning's excitement.

"Uh what do ya mean?" Ash looked blank. Serena walked on ahead, trying to drown out whatever anyone else was saying.

"Bonnie! Don't ask such personal questions!" Clemont scolded his little sister, and tried to drag her away from Ash with his Aipom arm.

"If you need any tips proposing I can help!" Bonnie cried as she was removed from Ash's presence.

"C'mon bro can't you invent something to reveal their thoughts?" she persisted.

"Bonnie you will understand this more when you're older, stop asking such questions!" He sternly responded.

"But you always say science helps open up the future?" Her innocence and youth were beginning to show. He sighed.

"I should invent a mute button for your mouth..." Controlling his sister would never be an easy task. He felt really sorry for his two friends, especially Serena. He sort of guessed that she felt differently towards Ash than anyone else, and appreciated that it's something they should sort out privately. He was used to solving problems, but this time he was stumped as to how he could help them.

Speaking of youth and innocence...

"Ash why didn't you tell me Serena is your girlfriend?" Sawyer suddenly walked beside him. Even Ash was now beginning to feel the heat. He felt himself get frustrated, but could still see Sawyer was merely asking out of innocence.

The day had worn on, and it was obvious that Bonnie was still slightly hyperactive. The group visited a café, where they had the chance to focus on where to head next.

"I've got a lot of experience from meeting you all these past few days, but I still need to catch up on you, Ash!" Sawyer said while gulping his orange juice.

"It's always great to meet and battle new trainers! So where are ya heading next?" Ash replied.

"I was thinking of heading to Courmarine City to face Ramos! What about you?"

"Serena usually suggests where we should go next!" He turned to face Serena to invite her into the conversation, who was sitting there quietly, slowly sipping her tea.

"I was thinking, we could head to Anistar City, there are some beautiful attractions there to see." she got out her digital guide and showed everyone the famous Anistar sundial.

"That looks amazing! But first, I will collect the rest of my gym badges, and of course that means returning to Lumiose City to face you, Clemont!" Sawyer's voice was growing in volume as he thought more about his upcoming battles.

"I am looking forward to the rematch!" the electric gym leader calmly replied.

"So we're heading off in different directions... Good luck then, Sawyer!" said Bonnie who was calming down now.

The group then decided it was time to depart, and briefly part with Sawyer until their next encounter. The day was progressing, Serena needed time to prepare for her Showcase, while the world was waiting for Sawyer. They stepped outside the café, and stood in the middle of a road with two paths, one pointing to the direction of Anistar City, and one pointing back down the Nature Trail, eventually to Lumiose City and beyond. Of course, Ash and co. wouldn't be leaving just yet, but Sawyer was eager to dash.

"Everyone, thank you very much for letting me travel with you these past few days! Ash, next time we'll battle again! I'll be stronger and more experienced next time!"

"I'm looking forward to it, win those gym battles, okay?" Ash offered out of a hand, and the two rivals shook upon departure.

"Serena, good luck in your Showcase too!" Sawyer added.

"Thank you! Until the next time." Serena was still quiet, and standing noticeably behind everyone else. Everyone said their goodbyes to Sawyer before he turned away and walked down the road to exit Laverre City. It was the normal four once again.

"Shall we head back to the Pokemon Centre? I think we should give Serena all of the time she needs to prepare for her big Showcase tomorrow." Clemont suggested. She nodded, but didn't say anything.

"That's right! Plus my stomach has been preparing for a big meal all day." Ash added. Typical of Ash, that made her smile though. Always hungry, but luckily he loved her cooking.

"Well then let's get back quickly so we can cook, and I can show you all some of my ideas for tomorrow!" She suddenly seemed to perk up, and led everyone back to their rooms before returning to the nearby field. The group ate outside, while Serena, Braxien and Pancham performed in front of everyone ahead of tomorrow.

It was another exhausting day. It's never easy being bombarded by such an eager crowd, while intense training following Sawyer's departure cranked up the anticipation for Serena's Showcase tomorrow. Bonnie was tired once more. Cleverly, Clemont only let her have a soft drink at the café, so her sugar rush came to an end. Once again fulfilling his big brother duties, it wasn't long until he took her back to their room, and put her to bed along with himself. This time, Sawyer wasn't around to question Ash about battling. This time, Clemont and Bonnie were all the way back in their room, while Ash and Serena were downstairs, on the field, alone. Serena had quite a few mood-swings today, but thankfully was feeling bright, and so was the night sky. Following a long evening of training, Pancham and Braxien returned to their PokeBalls to rest as Serena gazed up at the once blue, then orange, and now navy display above them. The stars were once again gathering. Strangely, Ash had the opportunity to go and get some rest once Clemont decided to take Bonnie away, but for some reason stayed. He had been sitting on a bench since dinner, and was watching Serena perform for the whole evening. With everything calming down for the night, Serena went to sit down next to Ash on the bench. The two felt like they were the only people around for miles. Serena tried to continue her perked up mood into conversation.

"So.. does Sawyer still seem to think we're, y'know, boyfriend and girlfriend?" She tried ask in a light tone. Ash laughed and scratched his cheek slightly.

"He doesn't seem to ever understand does he." he responded.

She then realised that her behaviour had been quite different today, but she didn't know whether he realised or not.

"Ash... Sorry I sort of stormed out of that Fan Club meeting today..."

He turned to her, and paused for a bit, still smiling.

"No, I'm sorry." He stayed bright.

"...Why?"

"The thoughts Pokemon share with their trainers are personal, right? Exposing that sorta thing in situations like this morning is wrong." He explained. She thought how this was unusually insightful from Ash, yet he always understood Pokemon and trainer connections to a sound level.

"What do you mean?"

"About Frogadier and Braxien, they didn't like the attention, and neither did you. It was my idea to bring you all there..." She blushed slightly, she never realised how Ash could empathise like this.

"It's not your fault... You didn't know! But what do you mean about Frogadier and Braxien's shared thoughts?" Her tone drifted near interrogation.

"Well, Pokemon are known to take on traits from their trainers, it's just like they're related." Ash went on, but Serena knew he wasn't quite answering in the way she wanted him to.

"Traits... I'll try and remember that. I'm really hoping that I'm not clumsy again like my last Showcase." she tried to change the conversation.

"You'll be fine! We're all supporting you, don't give up and believe in yourself and your Pokemon. Never doubt anything." He confidently responded.

"Thank you Ash... Thank you for believing in me." She bowed her head, and felt herself beginning to blush.

"I'll never stop believing in you!" He looked at her and grinned. He seemed to feel himself wanting to continue, as that warm feeling was there again. This time it had gotten so strong that it was beginning to feel uncomfortable in his stomach. It was definitely when he was around Serena.

"Do you think I'll finally earn a Princess Key?" she looked up, ignoring the fact that her blush was now fully visible. He leaned in closer to her, the two were now really close, and sitting on the same bench looking into each others' eyes.

"I'm supporting you all the way, you'll do it." He said softly. The two showed great faith in each other, and sat in silence for a bit under the stars. This time it wasn't awkward. They were looking into each other's eyes for what felt like ages, and time passed without any interruption. The two were unconsciously satisfied with spending the night looking at each other, even Ash himself didn't realise what he was doing. Eventually, Serena's gaze broke at the thought of her recent guilt.

"Um Ash, there's something else I should apologise for too..." She began to play with her fingers.

"What's that?"

She had to quickly think of an excuse.

"Um well, when you took your bag off before the gym battle the other day, it was still open and your journal fell out, so I kept it safe with me, but forgot to hand it back..." She held it in both hands, and was shaking. She knew her excuse wasn't quite going to make it, but surely Ash wouldn't get angry. He seemed to become slightly nervous though.

"Oh... thank you. You... didn't read any of it, did you?" He gingerly asked. The question shot through her like one of Pikachu's Thunderbolts.

"Um..." She didn't know how to respond, and went completely blank.

He then suddenly shook his head to snap himself out of his angst.

"Ah, don't worry! We need to be concentrating on the Showcase!" He suddenly announced. He then placed his hands gently onto her shoulders. Her skin was warm. It was then he could feel the warmness in himself igniting, a new flame was burning within him, and it was all because of her. She felt herself begin to sink from nerves, she had no idea what was going on now.

He firmly looked her in the eyes, her crystal-clear, blue eyes.

"I'll be cheering for you tomorrow, and I'll make sure you hear my voice. Win it." He calmly said, but you could feel the blazed spirit within him. She felt like she was about to melt, Ash was holding her..!

She could only conjure up the words, "I'll do my best!" She was too nervous to speak, she was shaking too much.

"Shall we go back and get some sleep? We should be up bright and early for tomorrow." He then suggested, she gave a confident nod, and the two left the bench to return to the room. Serena didn't quite know what happened, but she felt secretly satisfied because of it.

Once the two had returned to their room, Ash once again fell asleep straight away on his bed, while Serena looked over at him, he was already midway through a dream. Once again this evening, she could feel his energy, his soul. Everything she liked about him. He was quickly becoming the most important thing in the world to her. She put her hand on her heart, and began to whisper.

"Ash... I'll win it for you."

She very slowly lent over, and kissed him gently on the cheek; before scurrying back to bed, and waiting for the sun to once again rise, ahead of her big day...

* * *

 _Very long chapter this one! Once again I hope you've enjoyed. How will Serena do in her Showcase I wonder? Stay tuned for chapter 7, "Taking the Stage"!_


	7. Taking the Stage

Chapter 7: Taking the Stage

Another morning dawned, and this time it was Serena who was the first to rise. Shortly following was Ash, completely unaware that he had been kissed during his sleep the previous night.

Today, everyone's attention was glued to one thing- Serena's Showcase. It had felt like an age since she last took to the stage, so much preparation; and it would all come down to today.

Serena was outside and on the field when Ash came down to join her. It was immediately noticeable that today was vital to her, she had a stern, but composed look on her face. A mixture of nerves and excitement greeted her on the morning of the Showcase, although this time it seems her motives were split, as her raven-haired crush approached her.

"So are you ready then, Serena?"

"You bet, we've been preparing so much for this; we can't lose!" She clenched her firsts and spoke with energy. Ash raised an eyebrow, it was as if she had acquired another trait of Ash's. She found herself fired-up, electric with excitement, and amplified with anticipation. It was like Ash ahead of a gym battle, but it was a sign she was ready, she was entering to win.

Once Clemont and Bonnie were ready, the group had a quick breakfast before making their way over to the stadium. Serena wondered which one of her rivals she would bump into this time. Shauna was already one step ahead of her with one Princess Key, while the many other girls she had met along the way also had a possibility of turning up. Of course, not _all_ of the people she had met on her travels had instantly hit it off with her. A certain blue-haired girl then sprang to mind, but seeing as Laverre City is a well-known landmark in Kalos, this Showcase was expected to be well-attended.

Serena walked on ahead, the group could see she was getting into the "zone." Similar to Ash during his gym battle, it would be a difficult task in trying to talk to her at this point. This time she was more focussed, in only her second Showcase, she felt as if a lot of pressure had been riding on her. The large and glamorous building then came into sight- they had arrived, but it seemed at that very point Serena wasn't the only performer reaching the entrance of the Showcase building.

Her composure was suddenly jolted.

"Serena, long time no see!" A distant, but familiar voice called. However it wasn't necessarily one she wanted to hear. Serena turned around, and it was none other than that blue-haired menace she encountered many moons ago, slowly walking towards her. It was ominous. It was a nightmare. What could she be possibly doing here? While the two left on reasonably good terms, Serena hoped she wouldn't meet her too often again after those chilling words she left on. She made a double-take to check this was actually happening; she was still there, walking ever closer towards her. It was Miette. Serena's calm composure suddenly became that of panic.

"Wha-what brings you here?" Serena's pupils dilated.

"Well as you know Serena I've been studying how to make PokePuffs for a while now, and seeing as the theme of caring for your Pokemon and making PokePuffs for them is an important part in Showcases, I figured I'd enter. What a coincidence to find you've done the same!" She smirked, and spoke in that patronising tone that she absolutely detested. While Serena didn't want Ash to notice so much, Miette would always bring out the worst in Serena; she couldn't help it. She was infuriating when they last met.

"It's good to see you guys again, Clemont, Bonnie..." She paused.

"...Ash" She gave him a suggestive smile, and Serena could tell that those blood-thirsty red eyes hadn't just come for a Princess Key, but for something else as well.

"It's good to see you again, Miette. Are you a performer now too?" Clemont calmly asked.

"I suppose you could say that, yes. In many ways you could also say I'm Serena's rival." Another glance at the sieving blonde only made matters worse, Serena's big occasion was being thwarted by the presence of, dare she say it, a love rival.

"We're gonna go off and take our seats, we'll let you two catch up together. Serena, good luck, you too Miette, see ya there!" Ash decided to go on straight to the spectator stands to let the two performers talk about, well, performing. He was however still oblivious to what they would actually begin bickering about. Ash didn't want to ruin Serena's preparation, and so figured the best thing to do would be to let her get on with it herself, behaviour similar to when Ash was preparing for his gym battle by Serena. On the other hand, Serena suddenly felt upset by Ash's abrupt departure, after everything that happened over the past few days, she only received the same treatment as Miette when it came to support before the show. Still though, she had to remember everything that happened last night, Ash was supporting _her_ , she just had to make sure she was feeling it.

The two walked on in silence, until Miette cut to the chase.

"So, you've cut your hair... Was rejection bitter for you, Serena?" Miette's tongue-in-cheek question suddenly lit the fire within Serena as she went a crimson red.

"We haven't talk about that yet! But, he did give me this ribbon as a present you know." She tried to boast her prized possession, but her anger took over.

"So, Ash doesn't know yet?" Miette continued.

Serena began to think. "I... Think he's slowly beginning to notice, I think..." She stumbled on her words.

"So your head is still in the clouds! Tut, tut Serena... You better perform well today then, because I haven't forgotten." Miette suddenly cranked the pressure up even further. This was becoming a Showcase not just for her dream, but for Ash as well.

All of a sudden the girls' squabble was interrupted by a trio of unrecognisable faces suddenly racing past them in a rush. A man with blue hair, a little tiny Pokemon-like thing, and a purple-haired woman in a huge sparkling dress sped past kicking up a storm of dust which made the two performers burst into a coughing fit.

"That must have been Jessilee, she made headlines for how badly she misunderstood the first round last time" Miette choked out her words to Serena.

"So she's here too..." Serena replied quietly, realising the task she had ahead of her.

Before long all the performers had signed on, and were in the changing rooms, making the last minute preparations to their Pokemon. Serena seemed to be stuck in a stare whilst combing Braxien and Pancham. Miette was enjoying her rival's nervous conscience. Suddenly, the monitor switched on, and Monsieur Pierre's familiar face filled the screen. It was beginning.

He said his usual fancy lines and introduced today's theme. Miette's face suddenly lit up, just as expected, today's first round theme would be creating PokePuffs. She walked over to Serena, who had just changed into her dress from the fashion show.

"This is my forte, Serena. Don't expect any slip-ups from me, the pressure's on you." Her words were always chilling, she was now feeling more unsettled than ever, but Pancham's eagerness let her regain some composure, it was too late to back out now. In that very moment, the organiser poked her head around the door and asked Miette alongside two other performers to be on stand by. In an instant following that they were out on stage, the first trio to set foot in the first round. Serena looked up at the monitor, and watched in horror as Miette produced an absolute masterclass of a performance. She had made the most elegantly delicious looking PokePuff with her Slurpuff imaginable, and the crowd let out and unbelievable roar in appreciation. They instantly took to her and her fairy type Pokemon. It was incredible, it was like she was the home-favourite, and everyone had come to support her. It was like the whole crowd would then be against Serena. Her appreciation was confirmed when she drew in almost 100% on the votes from the crowd, surely it was a new record.

Bonnie was blushing bright red in admiration for the sheer cuteness on display, while Clemont put his hand on his chin and looked puzzled. Later, Jessilee went out, and performed similarly. This time she wasn't caught up in an inferno of burning PokePuff ingredients, but was instead to Serena's surprise, being cheered on with her Pumpkaboo beside her. Clemont once again looked sceptical while Ash and Bonnie sat and watched in amazement. Serena sat there in shock thinking surely it couldn't be her day, the pressure was only getting higher the more she watched. Staggeringly, Jessilee made it through to the second round, the crowd, like Miette, suddenly took to her and Pumpkaboo. Clemont just could not work out why, Serena tried to focus on keeping calm, but she completely lost it all again as the organiser called her name, and it was her turn to now be on the stand by. Serena walked up and down the room, she had drawn slight attention from her fellow performers in the midst of her angst. As she paced herself, a chorus of "Win it for him." rang inside her head, she tried to think of a happy place, a place where there was no pressure, and that she could be with Ash. A place where they could be together, happy. She thought long and hard but it only made the wait to go out on stage longer. By the time the curtains revealed themselves to her, she felt like an entire eternity had passed. Her chance had arrived though, and it was time to take centre-stage.

She hesitantly appeared through the stage curtains alongside her two competitors. She didn't know either of them, as they had not been present at the Courmarine Showcase. Interestingly however they both had either a fairy type or ghost type Pokemon alongside them. Serena chose Braxien to lead out by her side, and after examining the other performers, she seemed to stick out like a sore thumb. Despite this, she tried to continue, and got down to work, once Monsieur Pierre announced that they could begin. Ash was suddenly taken back once he saw Serena come out on stage. It was that dress. The same dress she had worn at the fashion show. Ash felt his jaw begin to drop slightly once again, and that warm feeling too. It wouldn't leave him, it was there and he could feel it, he could feel Serena was an integral part of him. He almost felt like she should be there as that feeling inside him. For the first time in his life he felt himself blush properly, he felt himself feeling those new feelings once again. He wanted to cheer, he wanted her to win, _he_ wanted to be the one who would run down and hug her in her glorious hour.

Serena's group were the last to go out, and immediately, the crowd seemed to be favouring the two opposite performers, but Serena got her head down and tried to focus. There were ingredients surrounding her, but she had a clear image of what she wanted to make, and kept cool in an attempt to avoid any mistakes this time. Bonnie watched on in excitement, while Clemont still seemed to be calculating something. Interestingly, Ash had completely tensed up, and was focussing extensively on every movement Serena made. He seemed to be deeply concentrating on making sure she did well, he was unusually quiet, and you could even say nervous at his blonde companion's endeavours.

"Ingredients, ingredients..." She sung to herself as she scrambled around the on-stage kitchen. Cake mix, eggs, butter, milk all into the bowl. Stir, stir like fate depended on it! She dashed a drop of colourings and flavour, before pouring the mix into her baking tray, and depositing it straight into the oven to do its job. She wiped the sweat off of her face as before long she would have to take them out of the oven once more. The trick was to keep a close eye on them, as leaving them in the oven for a moment too long would mean they would begin to burn and lose their all-important colour. Now for the icing; she had practised how to make and manoeuvre a piping bag for many years, and so once the pressure cranked up, her fingers danced elegantly as she decorated her PokePuffs. Braxien joined in to complete their work of art with the toppings. Reminiscent of their previous PokePuff contest, she had added a miniature chocolate stick like the one on Braxien's tail to add that extra personal touch. Phew, what a hectic few moments they were.

The round passed in a flash. The three performers stood there with their finished PokePuffs. The crowd this time seemed to quieten down slightly, they had been gradually losing their roar, and started chattering amongst themselves for some reason. Could Serena have swung the odds into her favour? The voting round would be an extremely close one. It was time for the audience to reach for their voting devices. Ash was the quickest to rush for his. He seemed adamant. Serena's colour was pink. He suddenly shot out to his seat, and she saw him. Their eyes briefly met, as he sent out his pink light to her key. He was the first to send his vote, and for that brief moment, she felt like he had sent more than that. One small pink light, but it was his. It was his light to her, she felt empowered, embraced by Ash's support. Everything stood still as they gazed at each other, until the rest of the lights of the Laverre stadium came flooding in their numbers. It was almost as if his vote counted for so much more, she stood there in a trance while it was too difficult to call a winner. The crowd then suddenly let out a huge gasp. She immediately turned around to look at the monitor. Her jaw fell to the floor. Ash and the group jumped for joy- she had done it. Without any mistakes, Serena was through to the second round, and it looked as if she had won over the crowd, who seemed to be unfavourable to her at the start. She was shaking. She was so overjoyed with the result that she picked up Braxien and embraced her tightly. It was an achievement from last time, she felt her progress had paid off. She felt like she could go on and win it. She felt like it would be her day, and this would be _the_ day, Ash would finally understand everything. She was beginning to dream. She turned around with Braxien to head back to the changing rooms and see what Miette thought of her first round performance. While doing so, she turned around, and in the midst of her joy, winked at Ash, who was sitting there applauding from the stands. He immediately noticed, and this time, found his chest tighten as the feelings grew stronger. Serena had already exited the stage at this point, and didn't she her crush's face. He was suddenly overcome with that feeling again.

Monsieur Perrie then announced the short 5 minute interval before the next round. In that time Ash decided to pull out his journal, and see if he could catch up on the past few days, and try and put these crazy feelings into words. Still slightly concerned by the fact that Serena may have read some of it, he turned to today's page, and upon realising what was waiting for him, immediately hid the journal from Bonnie or Clemont's view. His pupil's dilated to a size bigger than ever before, his jawed dropped lower than ever before. He sat there, in awe, in angst, in worry, in excitement, in confusion.  
Meanwhile Serena approached Miette, keen to break the news, just in case she didn't already know.

"Looks like I'll be joining you in the second round!" She cheerfully exclaimed, the joy on her face was clearly visible, even her eyes were smiling. Miette smiled back, but then stood up, where her smile turned into a smirk.

"I have to say, that was very impressive, but you really don't get it, do you?" Serena then suddenly seemed puzzled. What could she be saying?

They knew the interval didn't last long, but immediately the organiser poked her head around again. "Miette, please be on stand by!" she would be the first to perform, but Serena was adamant to get an response from her.

"What are you talking about?" She could feel herself getting frustrated again.

"Well, in case you haven't realised, we're in Laverre City?! These locals are in their own little world, cut off from the bursting urban life that you get in places like Lumiose. This place is a world of its own! It's been around for thousands of years! Take a look at the routes connecting it. There's a haunted house, there are dark and gloomy swamps and forests. Then we have the city itself, it's bursting with fairy types, and fairy type trainers. Even the gym leader is a fairy type trainer. Don't you get it? The locals here are only accustomed to ghost type Pokemon, and mainly fairy type Pokemon. That's who they're cheering for. So are you really going to send out Pancham, a fighting type, and expect them to take to you? If you think you have a chance of winning the crowd on this round Serena, I'd think again." Miette bellowed the crushing words straight at her. She was relentless. Serena suddenly started to sweat. She hadn't realised. Miette then walked off to the stage to perform with her Pokemon in the second round. It had already started, but Serena felt like it was once again already coming to a crushing end.

Miette walked out on stage, and the crowd gave a modest applause. Upon the release of Slurpuff, that applause had turned into an almighty cheer. Every single on of the Laverre locals got up and applauded the presence of the fairy type. Miette wasn't lying. It was then Clemont realised.

"I've got it now!" He suddenly jumped from his chair and jumped around frantically. He adjusted his glasses in a panic, it wasn't good news. Bonnie looked over in concern.

"What is it?!" She seemed startled.

"The audience are favouring the fairy and ghost type Pokemon, they're the home favourites! If Serena sends out Pancham, this could all go very badly wrong!" He seemed delirious with shock, and Bonnie then followed in his concern. Ash meanwhile didn't move an inch, he sat there, his eyes firmly fixed on what he had just read. His journal was wide open as he stared at the words that appeared on the page...

" _Meet me outside of the Pokemon Centre after the show. I really need to talk to you."_

Monsieur Pierre grabbed his microphone. "Now, let the fun begin!"


	8. Pressure

Chapter 8: Pressure

"Ladies and gentlemen please put your hands together for Miette and Slurpuff!"

There she stood, in a Furisode like Serena's, but with a darker, more navy trim. She fitted in like a natural, as the crowd watched on in hope that they would see a fairy type pull off an impressive display.  
"Okay Slurpuff, let's start off with Cotton Spore!"  
The Meringue Pokemon summoned a cluster of soft looking white cotton, and held them still in mid air.  
"Now Sweet Scent, followed by Fairy Wind!"  
The crowd were suddenly enticed with the sweet aroma of lavender petals from Slurpuff before it then sent the cotton and the petals swirling with the use of Fairy Wind. It was a tornado of gorgeous aromas, the crowd were watching on in awe with the elegance displayed from Pokemon and trainer. The familiar scent of lavender proved to be a hit with the Laverre crowd, but Miette quickly moved on to the big finale.  
"Finish it off with Dazzling Gleam!" She had been grinning throughout the whole performance, it was all going to plan. Slurpuff took a moment to aim for the swirling mixture of cotton petals before sending its Dazzling Gleam attack hurling towards its targets. It was perfectly aimed, and the reaction sent a huge wave of light, followed by the remains of sparkling petals slowly descending upon the crowd, a perfect finish, with the soft gleaming light creating a dreamy backdrop for both Miette and Slurpuff. They had nailed it, and the crowd seemed to think it couldn't get any better than that. Serena watched on, and with every perfectly timed move became more nervous, more worried that Miette had stolen the show. She wanted to hide away, and forget that Miette had even just performed, but there was no hiding, no hiding at all from the organiser's persistent eye, who summoned her at probably the worst moment. Miette had finished and was taking in the rapturous applause from the audience when Serena was called to be on stand by to follow up. She had a big act to follow, and huge pressure to do so. All of the odds were once again stacked against her. She stood by the curtain ready to enter the stage, but with the knowledge that she would be passing Miette as soon as she was exiting. The crowd's applause began to quieten down, the curtain raised, there she was, bearing the most proud-looking smirk imaginable. It was disgusting, the last thing she possibly wanted to see.  
"Wonder if Ash will even stick around to watch you now." She teasingly whispered into Serena's ear. Serena went red, but this time it was red with anger. She had to compose herself briefly again, what self-belief Serena had conjured up, Miette would instantly knock it down. The curtain was open though, Miette had disappeared into the changing rooms, it was now Serena's time to shine.

The nerves had felt worse than before, every single step she felt like she was being watched, and judged. Every step was a wobbly one, but she eventually made it to the middle of the stage where she would begin performing. The crowd watched on in a painful silence, she wanted to hear noise, but the silence only poked at her like she had to go and do something extraordinary.  
"It's Serena's turn, but Miette's performance will be a tough act to follow." Clemont adjusted his glasses and closely focussed on the stage. Bonnie leapt out her seat to see her big sister have her big moment. Ash finally snapped out of his trance at his journal, slammed it shut, and stood up abruptly. He towered above the rest of the sitting crowd, including Clemont and Bonnie who were puzzled at what he was doing. He looked around as everyone took notice at him, including Serena, who instantly feared the worst. Is he... walking out? In that moment, in that split second of doubt, anxiety, and the oh so tormenting silence, Ash pierced through everything.  
"Serena! … Go for it..!" He projected his voice from his seat to the stage, it travelled through everyone, where his words then wrapped themselves around Serena, and embraced her with a sense of self-belief. Once he opened his mouth he wasn't entirely sure where his words would end up, but his voice was heard, and suddenly the mood changed. She reached for Braxien and Pancham's PokeBalls, and held them close.  
"He believes in us, I believe in you. We can do this. So come on out to the stage, Braxien and Pancham!" In that moment she launched the PokeBalls up into the air, where a flash of blue light signalled the presence of her two Pokemon on stage. They looked around at the judging crowd, still seemingly not phased by Ash's moment earlier. She couldn't let them affect her though, she had to perform, she was under pressure.  
"Braxien, begin with Flamethrower!" Serena pointed to the ceiling as Braxien aimed high and orchestrated the direction of its scorching Flamethrower with its twig. Flames engulfed the stage.  
"Now Pancham, jump up and use Dark Pulse!" For such a tiny Pokemon it could certainly jump to impressive heights, it sent the wave of dark matter straight at the flames, and turned them an strong black colour. Where the stage had been previously lit by the orange flames had now been dimmed with the creepy dark tone. _This_ caught the crowd's eye, it was exactly what the locals would want to see. They then began to slowly applaud, they were warming to her. Bonnie looked around in joy.  
"C'mon, the crowd are beginning to enjoy it, we have to make more noise!" She roused up the two boys beside her as they began to cheer loudly to encourage the crowd. Serena was beginning to believe in herself more.  
"Now Braxien, use Hidden Power at the flames!" A white orb of energy was sent towards the flames where it then sat in the heart of the inferno, becoming its very core. The ying-yang-esque contrast of the black and white then became visible. She was adapting to the conditions. The crowd liked the traditional vibes coming from the flames, but Serena wasn't done yet.  
"Now for the big finish! Pancham use Stone Edge from underneath the flames!" She was enjoying herself, the crowd were slowly but surely beginning to enjoy themselves, this was the big moment. Pancham positioned himself underneath their creation and sent huge boulders from the ground to bulldoze the burning mid-air structure. The impact sent black and white embers hurling, the diffusion of the energy had cooled the embers down enough for the crowd to reach out and touch them. All around them, small embers of black and white fire had enticed the crowd. Serena had pulled off her greatest performance yet. She had lit up the stage in a new light. The sheer intensity, excitement and drama of it had however taken its toll though, she was absolutely exhausted. After the angst of living up to Miette's performance, the crowd gave her a warm reception, almost to say that they had accepted her. She wasn't focussing on the noise levels, but more at her three cheering friends from the stands. Ash looked on, he made eye-contact with Serena. He felt a sense of pride in watching her, he felt like he wanted to show her off to everyone in the Pokemon world. Bonnie meanwhile was jumping up and down on her seat.  
"That's our Serena! Big brother lift me up so she can see!" She exclaimed. Clemont let out an embarrassed sigh but obeyed his little sister's commands. He extended his Aipom arm so that she could be lifted and wave to Serena. She looked up and saw the three frantically waving at her with big smiles. She blushed at Ash's gazing eyes, but also felt herself tear up at seeing the three of them cheering at her from afar. All of the hard work, sweat and tears had come down to this moment, and it felt like it was worth it. But was it good enough? The last thing she wanted to do was disappoint everyone. The last person she wanted to disappoint for Ash. She was wanted that Princess Key. She wanted to win it for them, for him. She wanted to win it to say thank you to Ash for helping her not only choose her goal, but to keep on pursuing it, to never give up. She wanted to show him how much he meant to her with her victory. Against all of the odds, she wanted to prove she was strong. She walked off the stage, emotional with her efforts. She had put a lot into it, and was noticeably tired. Upon arriving into the changing rooms, Miette was sitting in the corner, but Serena immediately went to change. During that time the other acts came and went, before she sat down next to her blue-haired rival. Neither said a word for a while. Serena looked at the floor, while Miette watched the monitor closely, she seemed to be getting irritated at the act currently on stage. Serena looked up for a moment, and caught Miette's attention. She let out a huge sigh.  
"You did well." Miette's confidence had noticeably vanished, Serena couldn't work out why, until the sound of the crowd roaring with delight was heard from the changing rooms. Usually it was difficult to hear what was going on out on stage from the changing rooms, which is why they relied on the monitor, although this time they were loud, very loud.  
"... but the opposition's tough." Miette later added. Serena then gazed up at the monitor. It was the one girl everyone had ridiculed prior to the Showcase, if there was anyone to pull off a shock, it would be Jessilee.

"Lights off please." Jessilee snapped her fingers, and everything went dark.  
"Pumpkaboo, Shadow Sneak!" A new move for Pumpkaboo, probably learnt on the treacherous roads of the Nature Trail, and suddenly the crowd were dazzled by the up-close display by the ghost and grass type Pokemon. The crowd could not see through the pitch black until Pumpkaboo suddenly sneaked up behind them, and moved like lightening as the fast move allowed it to move to each member of the audience, frightening and entertaining them in its own special way.  
"Leech Seed!" She was getting extremely excited, and laughing with each and every move. Pumpkaboo planted thousands of seeds all around the audience, and returned to the centre of the stage. The crowd then briefly waited for the next piece of action, before watching in amazement as the light of the energy being released from the seeds lit up the stadium with a soft green glow. The enigmatic spectacle had stunned many, including the performers watching backstage. Miette had looked to be sweating, she knew Jessilee's crazy antics would work well with the Laverre audience, who watched on in delight with the glowing stadium in effect. Jessilee, despite her odd antics and questionable approach to certain themes in Showcases had gone and pulled off a spectacular performance. Serena's anxiety returned once more. She thought after all of these mood swings, it would all finally work out, it would finally be her day. She had put so much into it, but it seemed everyone had turned up, and everyone had put in the performance of their lives. She tensed up, and sat with her knees in her arms. Braxien and Pancham got closer beside her, and tried to pat her head so that she would feel better. She couldn't afford another loss, not now, not when she had spent all of that time preparing. She felt as if she would run out of Showcases before she would get the chance to compete in the Master Class. It was as if the Laverre Showcase was a make or break show in terms of her career, her dream. There was pressure, there was so much pressure.

The organiser popped her head around for one last time, and said those final daunting words. "All performers on stage please, we're about to begin the voting and announce the results." Miette stood up with her, the two looked at each other without saying a word. Jessilee had already barged past everyone while keeping herself cool with the paper fan. Amongst all of her pride even she couldn't believe how far she had advanced.

All of the girls lined up on stage. Serena, Miette, Jessilee and three other performers. Ash, Clemont and Bonnie saw Serena and Miette standing next to each other. You could cut the tension with a knife. Monsieur Pierre and his Klefki returned to centre-stage. The crowd prepared their voting devices.  
"Now please begin voting for your winner, s'il vout plaît!"  
The lights from the Laverre stadium once again came rushing to the performers. Serena instantly turned around and watched the monitor to see who was edging ahead. Her heart was pounding, she couldn't stop it. It was beating so fast it felt like it wanted to jump out of her, her body began to shake, she felt light-headed. She needed the win, it meant so much to her. As the totals started to appear Miette had edge ahead with Serena trailing only by a few. Their totals gradually began to rise, but Jessilee on the opposite side was beginning to make frantic gains on the two of them. Serena was edging ever closer, trying to get her vote bar higher than Miette's. They kept ascending. It was the pink of Serena's vote bar against the blue of Miette's. Higher and higher they climbed, but so did Jessilee's. Suddenly Miette's halted, and stopped ascending! Miette's pupils dilated. She surely didn't lose to Serena? The pink kept rising and rising, she was in the lead! "Please, I need this so much, for everyone, for him- for Ash!" She thought as she closed her eyes, trying to cut the tension. She couldn't bear to watch. The sound of the votes clicking as they were recorded continued, and kept on going until the belting tone of the sound signalling the end of voting bellowed out across the stadium. It all went silent. Serena slowly peaked her eyes open to see the vital result. Now her pupils dilated; but the silence was then crashed by the sound of the applauding crowd, and the screams and cheers of a certain Jessilee across the stage. She stood there, and looked on as the vote count decided that Jessilee had pipped Serena to the victory, by the smallest of margins. One of the closest Laverre Showcases in living memory, had ended in crushing defeat for Serena. The Laverre lights diverted away from her, and shone on her pink-haired rival, delirious with delight upon receiving her Princess Key. Monsieur Pierre handed Jessilee the shining key, where she then grabbed him and kissed him powerfully on the lips out of sheer joy. She was elated, but from the other side of the stage, the blonde haired girl in the yellow Furisode dress was devastated.

Ash, Clemont and Bonnie looked on in a cold silence, a dejected silence. They thought she had done it. She collapsed to her knees, she was so tired and worn out. It felt like everything she had been worked for was taken away from her. Snatched, and crushed. She slowly staggered off of the stage along with Miette and the other performers.  
"Serena..." Ash whispered under his breath. He could feel her sorrow. Bonnie looked downhearted, while Clemont shared the group's dejection. Ash couldn't bear to see Serena like this, he rushed on ahead and decided to wait outside for when Serena would return to him.

In the changing rooms the two rivals sat there in silence. Miette had no words for her frustration, while Serena had no words for her disappointment. Miette couldn't work out how much Serena wanted to win it for her friends, not over the top of her own agitation. The two left together, still in silence, and saw the waiting trio ahead of them. Serena kept her head down, and paced ahead towards them.

"Hey everyone..." Her tone sounded lifeless. Bonnie ran up and gave her a hug, Serena responded weakly, she was so exhausted. Clemont kept adjusting his glasses with one hand, he was unsure how to handle the situation while Ash stood there close to her, his head was also facing the ground.  
"Why don't we return to a Pokemon Centre and rest for the evening... I'll prepare dinner." Clemont gently suggested in the midst of the sensitive situation. She lightly nodded, as they turned to head back. The group were too focussed on Serena's dejection to notice Miette standing in the background. Amongst her own emotions, she raised her voice to be heard.  
"Hey, Ash." She called. The raven-haired boy turned around, wondering why she would call him. She once again regained the smirk on her face. Just when Serena thought her day couldn't get any worse, Miette had decided to fulfil her promise. Of all the times, it was starting to get too much for her. She felt like she wanted to be alone to let the situation die down once more. She turned around, and as difficult as it was to see Miette's almost evil expression, she kept watching out of courtesy, as time suddenly slowed down.  
"Uh, what is it?" Ash replied in an uncertain voice. Just as Miette was about to open her mouth, Serena felt the tears begin to gather in her eyes. Sniffling as the veil of tears covered sight of her nightmare scenario, she grabbed hold of Ash's arm with both hands, and tugged it lightly. Ash turned around again, noticing that the blue eyes on Serena's face were a sea of sorrow. She kept tugging, but uttered no words. He looked into her sad eyes as she kept on tugging, trying to tell him not to talk to her.  
"... Do you mind if I talk to Serena for a minute?" Miette continued, and had now caught Serena's attention.  
"Uh sure... But please be quick." He scratched his cheek in the midst of the uncomfortable situation, he didn't want to be rude to Miette, but he wanted to let Serena get back to rest quickly. She let go of Ash's arm and stumbled over to Miette while wiping the tears from her eyes. Miette looked stern.  
"How long are you planning on going on like this? If I don't take him away from you, someone else will." Miette whispered as the group watched on. Serena struggled to reply, her throat felt heavy.  
"I... I don't know what I should do any more." She began to wipe her eyes again, she was trying her best not to cry.  
"You have to confess, this is only going to hurt you the more you let it continue."  
"Well... Actually I did arrange for the two of us to meet tonight... But I don't want him to see me like this, he'll think I'm a loser... He'll think I'm pathetic..." She shook her head at the horrid thought of her having to face Ash in a time like this. She couldn't run away from it though, tonight she would have to meet Ash.  
"You're worrying yourself. Think about it,.. tonight is your chance. Don't waste it Serena. Even if you're sad you'll be strong for him." Miette began to sound almost reassuring, maybe she was supporting her after all? Serena looked up.  
"Good luck, Serena." Miette looked into her eyes and smiled to confidently assure her. Serena managed to conjure up a small smile to respond before the two shook hands ahead of their parting.  
"... Thank you, Miette..." She whispered. The two had once again ended on good terms, seemingly.  
"No holding back this time though, or I won't hold back the next time, and it will be my hand that he's holding!" She winked at Serena, once again Miette ended on a sinister, chilling note. Serena this time wasn't bothered about that, she was disappointed. She was distraught at how the day had ended, she wanted to spend the night celebrating with Ash, but now he had to spend the night with her as she comes to terms with another painful defeat. She felt drained and tired, but continued on with Ash and co. Miette walked on elsewhere, knowing that Serena had a big evening ahead of her.

The group walked back to the Pokemon Centre in an uncomfortable silence, Ash wanted to start a conversation, but nothing he could think of would help. Serena walked the entire distance while facing the ground, Bonnie was holding onto her hand, trying to reassure her that everything would be all right. Ash felt that warm feeling become a strong surge of pain, he realised that Serena needed cheering up. His chance would be tonight, having come out of nowhere in his journal. He wondered if she had been anticipating a better result at the time of writing, but nevertheless knew he should go. He wanted to help, he knew he had to, he cared a lot for her; a feeling that had gotten stronger the more they had been together, particularly the last few nights under the stars.

The silence continued until they finally entered the Pokemon Centre again.  
"I'm sorry to be like this you guys, but if it's okay, could I please be alone for a little while?" She said softly while playing with her fingers, still staring at the ground.  
"Of course, take all of the time you need, do come down for dinner though, it's important to eat." Clemont replied. Ash was caught in the thought of her being alone in her room, he had to say something.  
"Yeah... Make sure you come down and eat, or you won't sleep too well..." He didn't have anything useful to say, but spoke for the sake of speaking. Serena forced a smile and slowly walked back their room. Bonnie turned to Ash and Clemont in concern.  
"Is Serena going to be okay?" She looked close to crying herself, she didn't want to see her big sister like this. Ash knelt down to Bonnie's level, and managed to produce a confident smile.  
"Times like this are tough, but deep down, Serena's really strong. She will come back stronger than ever, and next time she will definitely win her next Showcase. Just give her time, and she'll be back, I know it." Ash's empowering words lit up Bonnie's face, she blushed hugely at how confident he was in Serena. Clemont smiled. "This is why you're such a strong trainer isn't it, Ash!" He was picking up on the positivity. Ash put his arm around Clemont. "Of course! If you let yourself cry then nothing good will happen, which is why we need to keep positive, and make sure Serena keeps positive too!" He clenched a fist, the group were rekindled with positive thoughts. Ash had spurred them on, but now he needed to spur Serena on, who was upstairs trying to hold back her disappointment.

Ash, Clemont and Bonnie sat down for dinner outside, which is where he broke the news.  
"The truth is, before the show Serena said she wants to talk to me later tonight." The two Lumiose siblings didn't seem overly surprised, in fact Bonnie looked excited at the idea.  
"What do you think it could be about?" Clemont questioned.  
"I don't know... But lately I've been getting this feeling around her... Y'know... Like a warm feeling, a sorta nice warm feeling..." Ash found himself struggling to tell his feelings, but as a close-knit family, he felt able to, like he should do. Bonnie put down the soup that Clemont had been making and leaned over the table to Ash.  
"It's love! Ash and Serena are in love!" She suddenly cried. She couldn't holder her suspicions any longer. The two boys responded in surprise.  
"What?" Ash was now at an all time high for being confused.  
"Bonnie! Don't make such bold statements like that, it's a sensitive situation!" Clemont hit back.  
"Love..?" Ash began to ponder the feeling, it fit all the criteria- mainly by the fact it was a feeling he had never really felt before.

Ash seemed to spend the rest of the evening deep in thought, as time wore on the temperature cooled and it was soon time for bed, or time to talk, for both Ash and Serena. Before taking Bonnie off to bed, Clemont went up to his friend to give advice on a subject he had no idea about- love. He felt he had to though, he cared about both Ash and Serena so dearly, he wanted all the best for both of them, and right now seeing Serena so upset was affecting him, despite Ash beginning to spread the positivity.  
"Ash... Whether it is a confession, or anything... As a group, as friends... As a, well, 'family'... We need Serena back with us. She can't go on like this, we know the win will come, but she needs to believe that as well. You've already given us positivity today, now you have to do the same with her. Good luck."  
"Thanks Clemont. You can count on me." Ash replied gently, before watching his two friends turn in for another night. He looked around the field. A wide open space with a few trees near. He had saved some soup for Serena, who didn't come down to dinner. He would do his best to cheer her up, and talk over some of these new feelings.

Serena meanwhile saw that Ash was now on his own outside. Although she couldn't hear their conversation, she had been watching from the window, while stroking Braxien's fur. She assured both Braxien and Pancham that she would be okay this time, and said that she was off to talk to Ash, he always had good advice for her. While that's what she told them, she prepared herself to make a huge confession. Could she do it though? Could she really let out all of her feelings after a day like today?

She ventured out to the field under the Laverre sky, lit by a full moon. Ash was finishing tidying the bench where they had eaten dinner. Once he finished, he saw Serena sitting under a tree, with those big blue eyes, still sad, watching him. He gulped at the thought of what he could possibly be doing. "Love..." He thought on and on about it, but just couldn't seem to understand it. There was no time to try and comprehend anything though, he was already on his way over to her. He arrived at the tree, and sat down closely beside her. Her head was buried in her knees, still disappointed in herself.

"Um, hey Ash..."

"Hi Serena..."

They faced each other.

It was time to be honest.

* * *

 _A change in the canonical tide! Although after all this was a Showcase in Laverre City. Just want to say at this point, thank you so much to everyone who has been reading and reviewing it really does mean a lot! What lies next for Ash and Serena now as they face each other under the Laverre night? Chapter 9, 'Soothing Stars' arrives next week!_


	9. Soothing Stars

Chapter 9: Soothing Stars

There they sat, closely together under a tree, watched by the night's sky and its thousands of stars. Words failed them both, a difficult silence had descended. Ash was unsure how he could possibly talk to Serena like this, she was crushed inside; and couldn't even bring herself to look at him. He had never been in such an emotional situation quite like this, and decided to sit there with her, and watch the night's course until she wanted to talk. Burying her head from view, Serena tried her best to steady herself so that she wouldn't cry in front of him. She was doing her best to be strong, but the feeling of despair was still fresh.

The group had eaten while Serena elected to stay in her room for a while, Ash knew that she would surely be hungry, so he made sure he saved some soup for Serena, and brought it over to her. If there was anything Ash was an expert in other than battling, it was eating. She hadn't noticed his arms were full of a bowl of warm soup, all for her. While she tried to conceal everything away from her raven-haired crush, it was to be her calling stomach which eventually let her guard down. The two were startled by the loud rumbling sound of Serena's unsatisfied stomach. She looked up, and flushed a deep red. Ash also suddenly looked up, it had been a while since he had heard a stomach other than his own make such a noise. He looked at Serena, who was tensing under embarrassment. She felt helpless at this point, as Ash began to chuckle slightly as Serena's expense.  
"You're hungry, aren't you!" He began to tease. Her mood still didn't seem to be lifting though. She slowly lowered her head, as Ash gazed at her with a toothy grin. He offered the bowl of soup.  
"Here; I knew you would get hungry, so have this. I saved it for you." His tone was soft, soft enough to warrant another flush of red from her. She once again looked up at Ash, seemingly pleased with his offerings.  
"Um... Thank you." An usually weak and short response, but she accepted her meal from Ash with both hands. Holding the bowl, she felt the warmness, reminiscent of Ash's hands holding her shoulders from the previous night. An embracing warmness, one she found herself beginning to desire more and more. Ash watched on, but realised he had forgotten a spoon for her, which would explain her troubled expression on her face. He put an arm up and began to scratch the back of his head, now _he_ was the one feeling silly. The two didn't need words, they understood each other's misfortunes purely from expression. Ash caught the faintest glimpse of a smile, before it disappeared behind the bowl that she began to drink out of. "Man she must have been starving." He thought to himself, she usually had impeccable manners went it came to dining, but tonight was different. She seemed to have a sense of comfortableness around Ash, like nothing else mattered in the world. Maybe it was another trait that had rubbed off on her, as she completely finished off the bowl in a matter of seconds, before wiping her mouth. Ash had been watching the whole time with raised eyebrows, which Serena soon noticed, and after gulping down each mouthful like that, cringed with shyness and hid her face behind the bowl. Ash began to laugh once again. He wasn't going to let her hide forever. He reached out an arm and moved the bowl from blocking her, revealing her innocently pretty face, one that needed a good cheering up. She was still embarrassed, but for the first time in what felt like forever, she then laughed along with Ash. She couldn't stay sad around Ash Ketchum, it was impossible!  
"Somebody must have been hungry!" He continued his teasing. Serena continued her blushing.  
"It's been a tough day, Ash..."  
"Which is why I want you to eat and sleep a lot. Today is already in the past, right? We'll move onto our next challenge." He then began his mission from Clemont to inject her with his charming positivity.  
"Yeah..." Her eyes were however still brimmed with sadness.  
"You're still sad, right..."  
She nodded gently, and felt the tears once again gather. She placed her head in her hands, holding back was becoming too much once again.  
"Ash... I'm so sorry about today." It was no use, tears began to stream down her cheek, and her throat began to stumble on each word.  
"I feel like I've failed everyone, I feel like I've failed you..!" Her tears became more heavy. Ash couldn't bear to watch her like this, but what could he do?  
"You were supporting me through everything, you stood up and called my name, but I couldn't win it for you..!"  
"Serena..." She buried her head once more, as the tears rushed from her eyes.  
"Ash, I'm sor-" Her words were cut by Ash taking action, he threw his arms onto her shoulders and made her face him. He gripped tight.  
"Look at me." He commanded, those big sad eyes looked up at him.  
"We never give up until the end. Those are our words. You've failed no one. Hey, you managed to sway a crowd who were always going to vote for the fairy and ghost type Pokemon! Although you didn't win the Princess Key, you won the people. That will not go unnoticed, everyone will know your name next time. Everyone will be supporting you more than ever, because they know now how great you are. Clemont and Bonnie will be by your side forever supporting you, and so will I." He pulled her closer to him, tightening his grip.  
"You can't give up." She fell silent, and the tears stopped falling.  
"Ash... Forgive me for being like this..." She quivered.  
"You don't need to apologise, we can get through anything together! I'm 100% sure that you'll win on your next try." Ash spoke with a tone of confidence, but hid away his secret angst. He felt it, his own changes. He would have said "that's what friends do" to anyone else. Not Serena though, she was different. He had realised that a while ago, but only now was he understanding it. It was a feeling stronger than friendship, and warmer than just admiration and respect. It was something different, something new. He didn't know if it was something in the air, or the lights of the Laverre sky shining down on him. He seemed to realise a new side of himself, he realised that he wanted that warm feeling. He released his grip off of Serena's shoulders and relaxed against the tree stump. The L word. Ash didn't know how to use it. It was like a newly learned move on a Pokemon, full of untamed power, with the chance for potential consequences if not used correctly. Was he really going to say it? He rubbed his eyes, yet the lights- they wouldn't dim. They just seemed to shine brighter and brighter, like they were encouraging Ash. He broke the second falling of silence, as Serena seemed to get lost in her thoughts. Little did he know that she too was considering what she was potentially about to confess.  
"So uh... Why did you want to meet me like this?" He gingerly asked.  
The jarring words startled Serena. It was a subject she didn't want to arrive at yet. Could she tell him why? After everything that had already happened, she felt she couldn't possibly risk it. She was content with how she was at the moment, sat under the night lights with Ash. Yet he had to ask, and she had to respond- but she couldn't.  
"Well... I was hoping... to be able to thank you properly. For everything you've done for me... But I've kinda just been apologising haven't I..." She choked on her words still.  
"Thank me?"  
"Without you, Ash, I wouldn't be here, aspiring to a dream. I would be still trying to follow the shadow of my mother."  
"But there's a lot I can thank you for too... You helped me rediscover my passion when I was down." Serena looked up at Ash, he continued.  
"And I suppose, without realising, I've become similar to ya."  
"What do you mean?  
"Well, wasn't this the same situation back in Santalune City after I lost my first gym match?" His questioning tone rung bells to Serena.  
"But you weren't crying!"  
"But you helped me remember what's important; and now here I am, trying to do the same to you!" His tone now became cheery. Serena seemed happy at his words, she rubbed her eyes, shedding away the tears.  
"I feel the same! I mean, you saw me with that soup just then..." She gleefully responded. The two shared a laugh. But the pause then descended again. Ash started to scratch his cheek, immediately signalling his nerves.  
"It was kinda cute..." Ash Ketchum was at this point diving into the unknown. For the first time, he could say it. He could say it to her like he meant it. Her face flushed to the deepest tone of crimson, and suddenly memories of the fashion show came back to her.  
"...Really?" She wanted to hear more.  
"Yeah... really.." His head dipped while he scratched his cheek.  
"What about at the fashion show..? What you said... Did you mean it?" Her heart began to pound.  
Ash immediately remembered, and instinctively picked up his hat and covered half his face with it. Why did she hear him? Why did she have to remember?! He took a long pause, and a huge intake of breath.  
"...Yeah."  
The two of them were now both dark red, both put to their wits end in terms of embarrassment. She didn't know how to react, she had a mixture of overwhelming happiness alongside her dejection from the Showcase. She was caught in between the two. To prevent another silence falling, Ash decided to make another audacious move.  
"Hey Serena, tomorrow is the summer firework festival, isn't it?" He reverted his tone back from an embarrassed one to a once again confident and energetic version.  
"Yeah..." She responded with a whisper.  
"Shall we all go together? I know you probably want to move on from here, but Clemont and Bonnie would enjoy it too. We have all the time in the world, shall we stay in Laverre for a day longer?"  
"Yeah, that sounds nice." She was still unsure where Ash was going with this, if it had any direction at all.  
"Then... We should prepare right?" His voice was becoming ever the more gentle.  
"How?"  
"Like... Uh, food... And uh.." She burst out laughing. Seeing Ash tentative like this was adorable, and for once she was beginning to feel slightly happier.  
"Do you ever only think about food?" She teasingly responded.  
"There's more than that! Like sparklers and yukatas and stuff..." He tried to continue.  
"So what should we do?"  
"Well I was thinking... Maybe we should give Clemont and Bonnie the day off, and the two of us could go and buy that stuff?"  
"Together?"  
"Uh, yeah, if you want to, that is." He still seemed tentative with one finger scratching under his nose but still wore his seemingly confident smile.  
"Yeah... Let's do it." She was starting to finally relax, but had the slightest bit of tension still in her mind, the lingering issue of a confession and what she _really_ feels for him. It had been an upsetting day, but with a soothing end. As the stars watched the two of them sit there together, she finally stretched out from her cramped position, and let out a small yawn.  
"It's getting late, we should join Clemont and Bonnie indoors and get some sleep." Ash suggested. Serena nodded, just as Ash abruptly stood up. He looked down on her, his towering stature eclipsed the moonlight. It was just the two of them, now locking eyes.  
"Serena... After today, are you still hurt?" A simple, clear question, asked with wide open amber eyes. Midnight was nearing. She didn't know how to respond, and gazed back up at him. He noticed the marks of her tears from earlier, he then recalled how much it had hurt her, how she had been so sad.  
"Here." He offered out a hand. A strong, welcoming hand. Her heart skipped a beat at his offer. His warm, embracing hand was calling for her. She slowly reached up, and cold sorrow met warm affection. She held his hand tightly, and felt the warmth snuggle into her skin. It was then that abruptly he pulled her up with his strength, and led her into a tight hug. His arms devoured her, as she sunk into his warm embrace, feeling the warmth of his body take away all of her fears. She felt safer, she felt happier, after suddenly being taken into Ash's arms- just like at the camp all of those years ago. He rested his head on hers. She couldn't quite believe it, nor could Ash himself. That warm feeling had taken over him, the lights had guided him, it just felt right. A sudden surge of excitement, happiness and fulfilment embraced him back as he felt Serena's soft skin come into contact with him. Running his fingers through her short blonde hair, he felt everything around him had stopped, all he could focus on was Serena. He didn't think about it; it just became instinctive. The L word that Bonnie had suggested was becoming all the more clear, he was doubting less, he was seeing the reality of it. Serena's traumas had been forgotten in an instant, suddenly she was happy again, and didn't want to separate from their warm embrace in the cool summer night. She was falling ever harder. Crushing ever harder. Loving ever harder. He had given up his worries in hugging her, now she would begin to give up hers. Holding onto Ash's shoulders, she began to whisper.  
"Ash... Thank you."  
He had no time to react, as in a flash Serena kissed him on the cheek. Ash felt in an instant Serena's lips burn into his skin. He rubbed his cheek slightly and blushed, astounded by what had just happened. He was speechless. It had been a night of new experiences for Ash, but a night of revelations for them both. Satisfied with everything, Serena walked on ahead, now grinning to herself as her mood has turned around; while Ash trailed, still rubbing his cheek from where she had planted her lips, still in a bemused shock.

The two arrived back in the room where Clemont and Bonnie were both sound asleep, oblivious to the late night chat. This time Serena instantly fell asleep, much to Ash's amusement. He pulled the duvet over her, and tucked her in gently, before scurrying back to his own bed for much needed sleep. A day of challenges for both Ash and Serena, but the raven-haired boy who had been oblivious to these emotions prior to entering Laverre City still had one question lingering in his mind. Bonnie's chant of "it's love!" was the only explanation he could think of. It was one he couldn't understand, amongst all of these strange new feelings.

From the feeling that only got stronger, from Bonnie's words which he simply couldn't forget, lied one question.

"Do I... love Serena?"

* * *

 _Author's Note: Once again a very big thank you to everyone who has read the story up this point. I'm really grateful for all of the support, and hope to make the next few chapters meet everyone's hopes and expectations!_


	10. From Within

Chapter 10: From Within

Fresh from talking with Serena, Ash lied in bed wondering about his feelings. All of this abrupt change was understandably uncomfortable for him, as he entered himself into a rare sleepless night. Having lied with his eyes wide open for a while, it was soon apparent to him that his mind was still in overdrive, and so he got out of bed and stood to watch his sleeping friends. Bonnie and Clemont's beds were adjacent to his, where they were both peacefully snoring away, having been asleep for a while already. Looking to his left, he saw Serena's bed, which was opposite to him. She gracefully slept completely still, lying on her side, with her left arm tucked under the duvet, with her right stretching out, holding a grip on her warm covers. He wouldn't dare disturb her slumber in the position he found himself gazing at. He once again found that the word "cute" was springing to mind again, prompting further dread that a "beautiful" would accidentally slip out of completely nowhere once again. Yet no matter how much he denied it, there she was, the beautifully cute girl who had kissed him on the cheek little over twenty minutes ago. The girl which he felt unusually strong towards, who ever since the fashion show had been playing on his mind- he still wondered whether he was ill.

After a day of being baked in the sun, their room was warm, too warm for Ash in this state. He was still in his pyjamas, but was discontent with trying to sleep, and wanted to return to the cool night. Pikachu had an ear raised while he stood up in the room. He caught his trainer looking indecisive, after already enduring a light sleep. The navy night sky was perfect for anyone to sit alone and reflect on events, and Ash was no different. However he didn't feel alone, he was accompanied by the light of a thousand stars, all shining over him, as they had done for all of the times he had been next to Serena. Now they turned their attention to him, as he tip-toed past everyone letting Pikachu closely follow, before gently shutting the door as he paced himself downstairs to exit through the Pokemon Centre's rear door, into the field. Nurse Joy was on her night shift, waiting for weary trainers who had just survived Laverre's Nature Trail to flock in at any moment. She double-took at Ash upon seeing him come down, just to make sure he wasn't another dazed sleep-walker amongst the summer heat. He passed her with a friendly smile, and pressed on his three PokeBalls to enlarge them, ready to be deployed.

The rear doors slid open, and Ash felt the night breeze welcome him. At such a late hour he was alone on the large field, but wouldn't be for much longer.

"Come on out, everyone." He ordered at a reduced tone as he didn't want to potentially wake anyone. He threw his PokeBalls up into the while Pikachu leapt down from his shoulder, where he was then joined by Frogadier, Hawlucha and Fletchinder after their initial flash of blue light upon entering vanished. His group cheered gleefully as their trainer knelt down to sit on the grass with them. Frogadier entered with one of his many ninja poses, next to Hawlucha with his arms raised ready for combat, where behind him was Fletchinder, flapping its wings in anticipation for some action.

"Hey guys" They immediately noticed a slight change in tone though.  
"I'm sorry that we haven't been able to do much training since the gym battle; the truth is, I've been feeling kinda funny lately." He nervously said as they all stood around him. Fletchinder edged forward, and stretched out a wing around Ash's back, as if it was trying to comfort him. Pikachu's eyes widened in curiosity as he tilted his head to the side. "Pika..?" Hawlucha lowered his battle-ready arms.

"It's sorta about... Serena." Frogadier looked up. After the recent spotlight on him and Braxien, he was certainly in a position where he could vouch for Ash. Hawlucha on the other hand now looked the most confused.

The breeze kicked up a notch, and Ash felt the wind begin to lightly run through his hair. He looked up to the night while his Pokemon edged in closer to him.

"I've been feeling funny like this ever since the fashion show." He uttered. Frogadier stepped forward, and began to speak.

"... A warm feeling every time you're with her? Yeah that kinda makes sense." He scratched his chin in deep thought. "Aren't you the same with Braxien?" Frogadier placed a hand behind his back and scratched slightly in embarrassment. Hawlucha crossed his arms as it began to communicate with Ash.

"... I know it's strange for me to not have my mind on training like this, but recently I feel kinda... different towards her."

Fletchinder flapped its wings impatiently and had a clear message towards Ash.

"What do you mean she's been feeling like this for a while?"

All four Pokemon facepalmed themselves after becoming dumbstruck from Ash's incredible armour of obliviousness.

He scratched his head, confused, feeling slightly silly that he was only just beginning to understand the situation. Yet it wasn't just him who was part of change in the past few days, Serena was still getting over the Showcase and so Ash didn't quite know what the best thing to say to her would be. He stood up, and began to walk around the field aimlessly while his Pokemon followed. He seemed to be lost in a cloud of thought and confusion, mainly because he was trying to come to terms with the fact he had feelings for Serena. He couldn't deny that she was special to him, he had begun to realise everything about her. As he walked around, an abundance of thoughts began to fill his mind, until Pikachu caught him in his tracks. "Pi-pika-pi!" The yellow mouse screeched to his wondering trainer, causing him to suddenly stop on his way. He looked around at his Pokemon all looking up at him. "Y-you're right, Pikachu... Maybe I should say something to her."

Pikachu _was_ right. All of this thinking had sent Ash dizzy from walking around the field. He had to do something. He had to let what he was feeling so strongly on the inside come out to the realities of the outside, which meant that firstly, he had to give a long hard think about what Bonnie said. He decided to lie down on the grass this time, while is Pokemon soon followed, with their ears primed and ready to hear their trainer's strange new thoughts.

"Bonnie said that the nice warm feeling... is love." His words sent shock-waves through his Pokemon; having the word 'love' associated with Ash was borderline impossible, yet there he was, with the word leaving his own lips.

"She may be a kid, but she seems to know a lot about that stuff... I mean we always see her proposing for Clemont's sake, right?" He let out a laugh, yet he soon found it strange the thought of something he had previously observed as a joke had become a serious reality for him.

"Maybe she's right..." Ash digressed into self-doubt, yet his Pokemon, his friends, were nothing short of the opposite. Pikachu hunched down onto all fours and spiked his tail up, Fletchinder flapped its wings while harking its cry, Frogadier gave a confident look up to Ash, as it postured its body into a fighting stance while Hawlucha had latched onto the feelings being conveyed, and shouted with a clenched fist. Ash was taken back by their passionate reaction. They couldn't have been more sure, while Ash couldn't have felt more dumb. His Pokemon rallied him into the belief that he had to make his move. She had to know, for Serena had been around Ash for so long, while Frogadier had also had a conscience on the matter for a considerable amount of time.

"But... how do I do this..." He wondered, but then suddenly got up and put on a serious face.

"Come on guys, it's time for some late night exercise." Ash seemed spurred on all of a sudden, as the raven-haired trainer abruptly dashed off, still in his pyjamas, out of the field, with his Pokemon following behind. He was almost completely convinced, but he wanted to make sure, he wanted to know he could trust himself. He ran away from their accommodation in the Pokemon Centre, and headed for Laverre's streets. The scent of blown out candles still present in the atmosphere as the quiet city slept. No street lights were there to illuminate the path for him, but only the natural light of the night's stars shining the way. They were guiding him, with a sense of fate, Ash followed where the elements directed him to go. Frogadier comfortably kept to his trainer's pace, with Pikachu endeavouring on all fours. Hawlucha and Fletchinder soared up to the sky, occasionally eclipsing the moon's gaze. They spiralled and performed various acrobatics in the air as they lit up Laverre's skyline. They were showing what it was like to love; with their beautiful, dazzling display in the lights, they flew with such glee, like they had a reason that they held strong. For Fletchinder and Hawlucha, all they wanted was for Ash to realise what he was feeling, he was the reason they were so spurred on to blitz ahead high above the traditional buildings. Ash was coming to know that his reason, his motive that revived his passion for his dream, was Serena.

The narrow roads twisted and turned as the city entered a more complex route. Ash glanced up to see the familiar sight of Laverre's iconic tree, the home of Valerie's gym. The memories of his gym battle flooded back, where he tactically edged out Valerie. He remembered the awe of Sawyer's face, and the sheer delight and relief on Serena's before she mobbed him. He hinted a shy smirk as he scratched underneath his nose, had he not been later bundled by Bonnie then he would have perhaps enjoyed the moment.

He escaped from the winding narrow streets and stopped to gaze at the tree. In front of his very eyes, Hawlucha and Fletchinder accelerated to the summit as they circled the large, ancient landmark. They were enjoying the chance to stretch their wings, they had grown concerned for the sake of their trainer, but now it was all becoming clear to him. He could accept it within himself, but Serena still needed to know.

"Fletchinder, Razor Wind!" He commanded with energy. Fletchinder took a moment to prepare itself, before hurling a cluster of sharp blades of wind into the sky. He saw the beauty in it, and amused himself that he had almost inherited Serena's eye for detail in performing. He smiled as the blades met the end of the tree's branches, cutting off leaves and swirling them around the sky. He turned back at the canvas he would be touching once the sun returned. He had asked Serena to come shopping with him ahead of the festival later in the day. The sun would surely be rising earlier. He turned back at the huge old clock, with the hand nearing 3am, he suddenly realised how long he had lived through the night, yet there he stood, in the heart of the city playing with his Pokemon in his pyjamas.

He looked around at the shops, there were so many. Unsurprisingly he didn't have a clue where would be best to go, that's something he could rely on Serena to decide. A hint of excitement filled his heart like a void which he didn't even know existed that had at last been satisfied. He reached out an arm to receive Fletchinder, while Hawlucha swooped down to make his landing. Pikachu hopped onto Ash's shoulder while Frogadier kept close by his trainer's side. There they stood close- laughing under the moonlight. It was his battling companions that understood everything about him, more than he understood himself. As the night dragged on he started to draw conclusions.

"I'll do it..." He thought to himself, firing himself up as if it were another gym battle. Ash felt the change in the wind, as it swept another direction, possibly telling him it was time to head back. He felt the change, he felt it from the outside and from within. The lights kept shining on him, the more they were there for him, the more he understood. He took out his PokeBalls once again and recalled everyone but Pikachu back.

"Thanks for being here for me, buddy." He whispered before patting Pikachu on the head. His yellow partner purred from enjoyment.

"I won't let any of you down." The seriousness had returned, but it was an excitable seriousness.  
You could introduce the concept of love and somehow get him to understand it, but from the start he always had his heart.  
"This is our secret for now though." He later added, adamant that he would stay cool until the moment came, where chance would have its way.

He walked back with a yawning Pikachu getting comfortable on his shoulder, as the familiar red and white lights of the Pokemon Centre came into view. He passed by Nurse Joy, who gave another confused smile after his late-night stroll. After climbing the stairs, their room came into view, where Ash noticed his heartbeat increase. Through the doors were his dear friends, even further on in the room was the girl he had been thinking about quite a fair bit for the past few days. The door tried to creak as he opened it, but thankfully no one woke up. Slowly but surely edging his way back to his bed, he noticed Serena, and stopped to watch her sleep for a while. This time her stretched out arm was held close to her chest, where she now seemed unusually restless. Understandably, it had been a horribly long day for her, yet she didn't seem too comfortable at all. He decided to sit down by her bedside to make sure she was okay. From Serena's deep dream-like state, her restless body sensed Ash approaching from his body heat. After all, he had just been out running, so it was bound to be noticeable. The arm stretched out once again, this time it was towards Ash. Her hand had still been scrunched into a fist, as she remained tense in her sleep. He reached out his hand, and slowly pressed his skin onto hers, taking hold of her tense hand. Immediately she let out a huge relieved sigh, and the restlessness stopped for a moment. Her muscles relaxed. Her hand opened out, allowing Ash to interlock with hers. He again pondered over what exactly he was doing, yet he believed what his Pokemon and his friends had urged him to. With Serena, everything began to feel... just right.

Her skin, soft as ever, warmed to Ash's body heat. Her head turned towards him, as she lied there with her hand in Ash's. He moved in closer, trying to work out whether she was really in a deep sleep or not. He leaned over to her, and gently moved her hair away from her ears to begin whispering.

"Serena..." His gentle voice must have been heard, as the faintest glimpse of a smile returned to her face. She let out another sigh, this time with her other arm emerging from the duvet to cup Ash's face to keep him close. Ash found himself under Serena's control, as she brought her hand up to his back to pull him fully into an embrace.

"Serena..?" He whispered again, but no answer. Her hand moved further up Ash's head, as she rustled his thick raven hair. She pulled him in closer to her, until their faces were touching. Ash's heart had skipped so many beats it may as well have not been working at all, as he raced into a minor frenzy of excitement and nervousness. How he wanted to have the chance to understand Serena fully like this, but he couldn't possibly be seen by Bonnie and Clemont in the same bed as her like they were now- it would come as a bit of a shock. Time was dragging on, and soon the sun would come up, and the temperature would rise above the scale again. He had to get some sleep, he needed to be ready for his daunting shopping experience which he had created for himself. While he felt himself yearning for a few more minutes, he broke their embrace, and leaned away from the bed. His adrenaline rush had come to an end, and much like a sugar rush, he felt drained of energy all of a sudden. He lied down on his bed and felt himself sail off to a peaceful sleep, free of the anxieties of what was going on inside him, thanks to the help of his Pokemon. Serena meanwhile still had her arms out, as she reached for wherever Ash had gone off to, grasping to see if he was still there.

The sleeping performer then returned to her previous resting state, which got worse. She tensed up, and would occasionally gasp in fear. Ash was nowhere to be reached, as her ordeal resumed. She couldn't escape it, as she tossed and turned constantly in the bed.

She was asleep, but she needed Ash back.

She needed him back to dispel this awful nightmare that she was trapped into seeing.


	11. Lovers' Conscience

Chapter 11: Lovers' Conscience

" _Despite the crowd warming to Serena, it was Jessilee who took the victory!"_

" _Serena once again heartbroken, this time by the smallest of margins."_

" _She's got another course of intensive training to do in order to get back on form."_

A thousand voices. Each and every one of them intrusively loud. A thousand voices were dancing in Serena's head while she was dreaming. She tossed and she turned under the bed covers, breaking into a cold sweat as her disturbances failed to falter. Those voices were not those of people, but demons. She felt trapped in the midst of a black abyss, the voices unseen, but heard from all angles.

" _Serena, come on! We've got to get going!"_ The voice of Ash suddenly appeared out of nowhere. His usual energetic tone had been replaced by that of an impatient and somewhat irritated one. She then saw three distant figures, recognisable, but only moving further from focus.

" _Let's get going Bonnie, we have a gym to run, remember?"_ Was that... Clemont?

" _I don't want to leave early though! It feels like we haven't finished everything yet."_ The innocent, childish tone of Bonnie seemed to reply.

" _But we're out of time. Ash has finished this year's league championships and is setting off. We can't be left behind on our own."_

" _But what about Serena..?"_ A sense of fear struck the young girl's voice.

" _She... Will have to try again..."_ What was Clemont saying? What was happening?! The voices got more and more distant until they vanished completely. The last thing she heard was a brief "Pika pi!" from Pikachu, but that soon quickly vanished too, she was left behind; alone. The darkness crept in. An infinite realm of nothingness, no one in sight, only the shattered remains of a rusting tiara surrounded her. Her world was closing in on her. Isolation. She was in a nightmare, and she needed to snap out of it.

"Serena! Serena! Wake up!" A terrified voice called. This time it was getting louder; and the darkness was beginning to lift. She then felt her cheeks being played around with, the somewhat annoying jibe so early in the morning was beginning to reconcile her senses, but the cold sweat would not stop, her screams would not stop either. She hadn't realised, but she had been screaming. Screaming louder than she thought she could. The playing then stopped, and for a moment she thought her delirious vision of the world had returned to silence. It was then a sudden jolt of Dedenne's Nuzzle went and did the trick. She jumped up from her bed, and looked up, sitting upright. In an instant the blood rushed from her head, and everything appeared in a daze. She couldn't yet focus on anything around her, but in the midst of her confusion, those two familiar hands once again came to save her; and held on tight. Whilst still not quite aware of what was going on around her, and despite being unable to see properly, she felt him. She felt his reassuring hands come to rescue her, and soon the blood returned to her head, and her vision cleared. She wiped her eyes, and opened them to see three concerned faces gathered around her bedside.

"Serena! Are you okay?! Did you have a bad dream? Fever?" Bonnie heckled with concern. Ash had shaken her back to consciousness, and now she was sitting upright once again. She nervously placed her arm behind her head.

"Oh it was nothing... Just a restless night, that's all!" She responded as brightly as she could, hoping not to cause more concern.

"So you're all good for today?" Ash asked with a smile. He seemed serious about going out shopping with her. Clemont turned to Ash.

"Is there anything we have planned for today?" Clemont seemed pleasantly surprised at Ash stepping up to take the lead of the day's events.

"Well uh... We were thinking last night that because today's the summer fireworks festival, Serena and I could go and buy some stuff for later, while you two can take the day off or something!" What started out as a confident announcement soon spiralled into a sense of uneasiness in Ash, like he was keeping something from his Lumiose-born friends. Ash had began to dip his head while speaking, and Bonnie quickly picked up on this, and latched on to Ash's feelings. She had come up with the suggestion of love before, but only now was it seemingly becoming a topic of mutual interest. Clemont noticed his younger sister's feelings and realised what Ash was potentially trying to convey. He grinned and adjusted his glasses, reflecting light off them in the process.

"Sounds good. You two have fun! Perhaps we will see you during the evening?" Ash was relieved that Clemont was vouching for him, Serena looked pleased.

"Yeah, we'll meet ya outside near the festival!" His fire was lit again. Ash was delighted that it had all gone relatively smoothly, and that he would have the day with Serena. Recently the past nights talking to her had been getting longer and longer. He recalled himself trying to stay out for longer periods each time until he couldn't bear the angst. Yet he felt like he needed time alone with her, otherwise he wouldn't be aware of these strange feelings. In a way he had never felt before, he wanted to be with Serena.

Bonnie was quickly dressed and excited at the prospect of exploring Laverre for the day. Clemont was scanning through attractions online, and bolted out of the door as soon as he saw his younger sister shoot off. Ash watched on, and felt slightly bad at leaving Clemont to chase around Bonnie all day. He felt like he owed him one, he was doing him a favour after all- the two of them both seemed to realise it without saying. Clemont was fully aware that Ash was feeling different, and as a good friend, he did all he could to support him and Serena. The lemon-haired gym leader gave a wave as he turned back to sprint after his sister, thus leaving Ash alone, with Serena, who was still lying in bed in thought for some reason. He turned around to his female companion and laughed at their friends antics to kick off their conversation with some light-heartedness, yet she didn't seem to notice. Her face didn't move, as she looked on, with an expression of discontent. Ash stood at her bedside and towered over her, he hadn't seen her stare like this before. He let her be for a bit, it was still the morning after all. He couldn't resist the opportunity to get close to her once again though, as he slowly sat down on her bed, to bring his leg up to his opposite knee so he could tie his shoe laces. Ash had slowly sat down, but it was enough to completely startle Serena who suddenly snapped back to reality. He glanced around at a baffled Serena.

"Sorry!" He felt the nerves cranking up already.

"Sorry, I must have been daydreaming." Her voice had become cheerful, which relieved him. Realising she had been lying in her bed for far too long, she quickly stretched out her arms and legs, and sat closely next to Ash, still tying his shoe laces. The nerves began to build up again. Serena was only reaching for her coat, but it was enough for Ash to suddenly forget how to simply tie his own shoes. She looked over at Ash, sweating as he seemed to get irritated at another failed double knot. For some reason both strings just were not tying to each other. She began to chuckle lightly, just as he decided to call it a day with his shoes and settle with his mere, single knot.

"Was that really so hard?" She poked at him teasingly. Ash stood up, and grinned.

"Hey, at least I'm fully dressed, look who's still in their pyjamas!" Pikachu had also woken straight up, and hopped onto his proud trainer's shoulder. Serena realised that Ash and her were teasing each other like a real couple, a small hint of happiness began to fill inside of her after such an awful dream. She didn't want to mention it to Ash, surely you can just forget about dreams anyway?

She looked at herself in the mirror, Ash was right; she was slacking today. After laying her clothes out on her perfectly-made bed, her thoughts of her dream once again filled her mind, as she gradually undid each button on her shirt, one by one. Once again she had slipped into another daydream, forgetting Ash's presence in the room. From his view she was staring into space while slowly undoing each button. Had she gone mad? Ash quickly flushed a bright red and dashed off out of the room with Pikachu scrambling to follow. He stood in the corridor of the Pokemon Centre, and crouched down to his yellow friend.

"What was that all about, buddy?!" He was quite startled at Serena's lackadaisical behaviour. Pikachu was just as confused as Ash was.

"I wonder if she's okay..." He began to whisper under his breath, before reaching a hand out to pet Pikachu.

"Clemont and Bonnie are away today, Pikachu... I wonder how I should... Y'know talk to her. " Ash was beginning to doubt himself, but Pikachu understood the scenario. Despite not being able to respond in detail, he understood that today would be slightly sensitive, and that Ash and Serena would need time together to talk.

Meanwhile, back in the room, Serena's heart skipped at beat upon realising that Ash was still in the room when she started to get change. She had slipped off into another daydream. She tightened her fists in frustration, one day alone with Ash and she starts it off by scaring him?! Her face had descended into a raw red, dreading the prospect of seeing his bemused face after that episode. After putting on her clothes she stood up close to the mirror, and inspected every fine detail on show. The group had become used to waiting for each other to get ready, so it was no issue that Serena was taking her time in making herself presentable. She straightened her hat to a perfect angle, and made sure every strand of hair shined the best it could. She pushed her face right up against the mirror to give a pep talk to herself. "A day, alone with Ash... Come on Serena, you can do this!" She stared herself out, but then slapped both hands on her cheeks in dread, upon yet another jarring realisation. "Is this... a date?!" She stood back and suddenly thought back to last time when they went out shopping. She remembered that the mistakes she made in letting him roam freely would not be repeated on her next opportunity, yet straight of the blue her next opportunity had suddenly hit her in the face, or more to reality, ran off outside the room! She once again gave a confident look in the mirror, practised her smile and edged towards the door where Ash would be waiting. Her blushed face poked around slowly, Ash turned around with a tentative look on his face.

"Uhhm, s-sorry about that!" She choked on her words, not knowing whether to apologise jokingly or not. He scratched his cheek as he felt that feeling conjure up again.

"It's fine, just don't startle me like that! Are you okay? You seem to be daydreaming a lot." Ash raised his concerns, she had been acting funny all morning. Her head lowered slightly, as she placed her hands near her beloved blue ribbon.

"It's fine... Ash. Um, but thank you for worrying about me. Shall we go then?" Keen to change the subject she skipped on ahead, leaving Ash to follow behind this time. He decided to think nothing of it and to try and enjoy his day. Serena would have liked to also enjoy her day, but the voices from her dream, more of a nightmare, kept lingering. Would she really get left behind by her friends, by the boy she was hopelessly infatuated with? Was she really any good performing? The doubts began to accumulate, but she looked behind, to see Ash walking behind her, smiling, being the trainer that she couldn't help but adore. She let him catch up, and the two walked side by side, secretly ecstatic with each other's company. They both hid it from each other, but this was like a dream come true. Whether or not Serena could bring herself to believe it, or whether Ash actually knew the definition, the two were most certainly out on a 'date'. Pikachu had stayed back, allowing the two to walk with each other, but then felt a jolt of electricity rumble in his cheeks, it was Dedenne calling, seemingly aware of the ongoing situation. Pikachu saw it as a good opportunity to join his fellow yellow companions, as his trainer and Serena both had their alone time.

It was a case of deja vu for Serena, the last time they had walked side-by-side like this she felt herself reach for his hand. Which led her back to the very start. If she offered him her hand... Would he doubt..? Would he decline? She thought for a moment but couldn't. It was too soon. She just did not know what went on in Ash's head. She never knew boys could be this complex.

"So where should we go first?" She questioned. Ash looked back with a blank face.

"I dunno."

"What? This was your idea though!" Now he found himself being caught in thoughts, thoughts of why he's feeling so nervous about every word he spoke.

"Uhh, I didn't really plan this far ahead." He let out an embarrassed smile while wiping his nose. Serena was dumbfounded at Ash yet once again she felt it was her fault for being surprised.

"Maybe... sparklers first?" She suggested with another smile. A smile in itself was helping her. She found herself slowly burying the disappointment of the Showcase, and if it wasn't for that dream last night, she'd be constantly smiling. Yet it was still there, it still felt so real. Like a distant, imminent reality.

Once the two had bought their sparklers, they were then on a roll. Dashing from shop to shop, buying all sorts of items they needed; grinning at each other each time they walked out with their hands full of shopping bags.

"Now we just need yukatas! They're very popular around here, so we should buy some." Serena suggested. Ash had hated the idea of clothes shopping before, but ever since he met Serena he soon became able to tolerate anything, if it was for her.

"Sure, we've got time." He nodded back, as they both wondered towards the traditionally built yukata shop.

Serena gasped in amazement upon entering, a rainbow of bright colours and patterns galore. Unsurprisingly, Ash was slightly bemused at this amazement, but continued on regardless. Serena dragged him, isle to isle, and picked out a few that she liked. She felt an opportunity arising, an opportunity to confirm everything that she doubted at the fashion show- she would hold her own little fashion show- for Ash. She looked up at him, and began to play with her fingers.

"Ash... Do you mind if I... try a few on?"

How could he resist those gorgeous cerulean eyes? He couldn't possibly say no. Ash had already picked out a navy yukata that almost matched his raven hair, and was satisfied, although he appreciated that Serena would like more time.

"Of course!" He replied with a warm smile. He felt her excitement levels increase as she skipped off holding yukatas of all different colours and patterns. He stood outside the changing rooms, clear from any of the previous shenanigans and felt the feeling slowly disappear, as Serena was no longer next to him. Serena too, even by disappearing behind the changing room curtain, felt that she wanted to return to Ash's side. Her feelings had grown stronger over the past few days, she was now at the point of no return. Helplessly infatuated, helplessly, and innocently, in love. A dark cloud still pondered over her though. It was beginning to become all the more clear as she stood in the cramped changing room, reminiscent of the cramped world she was trapped in during her nightmare. "Will I get left behind... and left to salvage what's left of my career? For the sake of success... Am I in the right place?" She began to think to herself, before vigorously shaking her head to dismiss the horrid thoughts. She began to think about Ash again, and how he'd react when she came out in all of these different beautiful yukatas. She scanned at her selection.

"First we'll start with blue... A calming colour, that will put him an ease." She commentated to herself about the contents of her items, while Ash stood blissfully unaware outside the curtain. She wanted to hear him say it. She wanted to hear the word "beautiful" properly come from his lips. She was adamant she would get an answer. She was ready. She quickly whipped open the curtain and gave a twirl to Ash who instantly turned around.

"Ta-da! How does this one look?" He found himself slipping into another stare, as a rush of adrenaline hit him hard. There were butterflies raving in his stomach now as a frenzy of hormones whipped up a dropped jaw on Ash's face. He couldn't bring himself to speak though. She laughed to herself while blushing- she had made him nervous yet again.

"Any comments?" She pushed for an answer, but Ash could only nod back to show his approval. She returned back to the changing room while Ash rubbed his face in annoyance. "Why am I suddenly becoming stumped like this?" He thought to himself, confused and annoyed that he couldn't simply respond to Serena in a yukata. She selected her next item, and pulled out a bright green yukata with a heavy floral pattern on it.

"This has a bit more kick to it, so this will surely get him going!" Once again she emerged with a quick whip of the curtain, where he would turn around and be amazed again. This time he flexed his dropped jaw as much as he could to get an answer. She stood there teasingly, leaning against the curtain.

"Well..?" She began to tease now.

"This one suits you as well." He did it! An answer, but she wanted more. She craved it, she wanted Ash to call her beautiful again. She dashed back in and frantically tried on each and every yukata she could find. From yellow to purple, to black to white, any colour, any pattern. Each and every time she would look for that one word, that one word which he couldn't say. Each time Ash's face would only redden slightly deeper, and he would gloss over his nerves by telling her that they suited her, she wouldn't give up though. She looked over at her final yukata. A strong, passionate red. It's often said that red brings out beauty stronger than other colours, or at least Serena had read that somewhere in a magazine. She held it up to the light, and then close to her body, weighing it up to see how well it fitted. She couldn't put a foot wrong on her big finale, this was the one which would wow Ash to bits. She took her time in putting it on, while Ash waited again outside, spurred on by reassurance that this would be her last one. This time she emerged slowly, so that Ash could fully watch her reveal, and take in every moment of it. She even slid open a traditional fan to add further elegance to her gorgeous red yukata. Ash stood back slightly, not knowing what to say again. He felt as if he had run out of superlatives that he could use. Serena approached ever closer, refusing to give up.

"C'mon Ash if you could describe it in just one word!" She pressed for her desired answer. Ash felt his cheeks burn.

"Se-Serena... You're..." He scratched his head frantically hoping a word would appear. She leaned forward in anticipation that he would say it. Come on, come on, say it! But Ash stumped himself again, and dropped his shoulders while laughing. Serena's face descended into that of disappointment and dissatisfaction as Ash failed to repeat the word that he slipped out unknowingly those few distant days ago. His blush remained though, which Serena hoped would never go. She was enjoying herself, she felt like every worry in the world was not affecting her now.

"Hey I still haven't seen you in yours, we have to make sure it fits perfectly. Why don't you try yours on?" She fired the question towards him. Ash looked embarrassed for a second, but knew his efforts to resist would be futile.

"Okay... fine. Just because you asked me to though." He stuttered off into the changing rooms of shame, as he laid out his navy yukata, wondering why he needed to take so much care in choosing one. He certainly wasn't a fashion guru, but liked the empowering look it gave him once he finally tried it on. He actually felt quite good in it, and confidently whipped open the curtain like Serena would to show it off to her. She had been standing there waiting for him to reappear, but even she was taken back at how Ash looked. She stepped back, as he suddenly became so much more... attractive to her. She felt herself flush a deep red this time, the same colour as her yukata, and felt herself begin to push for words. She still hadn't given up though, maybe this will jog his memory.

"Ash, you look beautiful!" She sarcastically quipped straight at him, and in that split second Ash realised what she had been trying to get him to say. He was speechless, but in a way kind of pleased that Serena liked it. The two got close to each other again, both in their yukatas, and admired each other. They felt as if they belonged like this, like they were both the perfect match. Edging ever closer, they leaned their faces in close to each other, to drown out the rest of the world around them. They could both feel each other's warm breath embracing them, as Serena began to whisper, stuttering on her words as her face burned up with excitement.

"So which one's best..?" She softly whispered.

"The one you're wearing now... It's very... You're really...-" He couldn't bring himself to say it, but it didn't matter. The two were now gazing into each other's eyes, where words soon became meaningless, just the endless tunnels of amber and blue orbs the two had in front of them. Serena felt her eyes begin to slowly shut, as she tried to lean in slowly for a kiss... But had to hold herself, and snap out of it and rush back to reality, Ash too had to recover his senses. They were in a shop still, and didn't want to attract any attention. The two leaned back out of their close encounter, and decided to buy their chosen clothing and take a break from their day of intense shopping.

Serena suggested that they take a break at the café they visited with Sawyer a few days ago. Ash liked the idea, as it had the promise of food with it. Still though, both now had thoughts lingering. Ash was caught up in how close they were in the shop after Serena tried on all of those yukatas, while Serena was still desperately trying to forget her dream. Still though, the word "career" hovered ominously around her. Was it a sign? A message? Was she being told to think ahead for herself? She felt it had the potential to be the forbidden thought that would separate her from her friends, and most painfully, from Ash. She couldn't bare the thought of it- separation.

Serena never wanted to think for even a second that she would be better off aspiring to her goal independently. Yet what did the others feel? It wasn't so bad for Clemont and Bonnie, they had their own time to play with. Ash however jumped from city to city, working his way towards his goal. She tried to keep up, but could she? Two losses, while he was entering the advanced stages of his lap around Kalos. She wanted to bury her head and drown out the thought of making a decision. She didn't want to be divided by it. Never in a million years did she want to have to choose between Ash or her career. The lights in the café were bright and dazzling, she felt her head strain with pain from the stress of it, and felt helplessly confused under the spotlight that highlighted her future for her. It was like the dream was casting a new light on her realities, yet she did not want to believe it.

Ever the gentleman towards Serena, Ash had gone to pay for their tea as they sat down by a window in the café which overlooked Laverre's luscious scenery. When Ash had returned he found Serena staring out of the window, with a sort of half smile, half frown. Once again she looked troubled. The day had not just been fun, but it had been perfect for the two to be with each other, to be able to relax after their hard ordeals in Laverre. Something still wasn't quite right though for Serena, and Ash felt it was his duty to bring all of the worries out of her. He slowly passed Serena her tea, and they drank together, blowing on their cups in perfect sync. Serena put on a warm smile, but Ash could see by her frozen fixed eyes that she was hiding something. He thought she looked quite cute when she tried to hide her face behind the cup though, as Ash gazed at her, trying to figure out what was going on in her mind. She tried to avoid eye-contact, but Ash this time was the one refusing to give in. He quickly put his tea down, and looked up at Serena. This caught her attention, and she instinctively looked back into Ash's questioning eyes. She tried to break contact but it was too late, Ash had already caught a sight of her eyes seemingly filling with tears, all of which she was trying to hide. It was still lingering on her, but Ash would not tolerate it any more.

"Serena..." He spoke softly. Her sad eyes tried to focus.

"... Yes..?" A thousand scenarios filled her head. A confession? What to do next? A simple "what's up?", or more worryingly, the realities of her traumatising nightmare beginning to take shape...

He spoke tentatively.

"If there's anything... Y'know, that you want to get off your chest, you can tell me."

* * *

 _Author's Note: Just want to take this opportunity to say a big thank you to everyone who has read and reviewed Tricky Cherry! I'm really glad people enjoyed it, and have ideas for more one-shots in the future!_


	12. Heart and Mind

Chapter 12- Heart and Mind

Silence had once again fallen between the two sitting opposite each other in the café. Serena had always confused Ash; before, he could never work out why she always had such a red face around him. How times change, after realising what that 'feeling' actually was, he too was now beginning to flush red, and become concerned over every movement she made. The feelings of love he was experiencing were new and scary to the young man from Pallet Town, yet across the table Serena had already gone past the stage of realisation, and felt broken inside. She didn't know what he thought of her because he had never explicitly said it, and now she felt like her own mind was heckling her to make a decision that she never wanted to think about. Ash had asked if something was the matter, yet the fact that there was a problem itself was the worst part about it. Her nightmare had crippled her into worrying like this. The more she thought of it, the more of a reality choosing would become.

She swirled her tea around in the cup, trying to pretend that the question had never been asked. Ash began to become more concerned. What had originally been a trait of Serena's had become his, only he was more assertive. The two of them had no clue what to do. Serena pondered over her complex dilemma. Either move on from her infatuation with Ash and travel alone in search of her dream, or confess to him in the hope that the feeling is mutual. She thought how the latter was worth putting her life on. She was at the point with Ash now that it was more than an infatuation. It was love. A burning desire for him. Leaving him would be more than painful, after what he had given her. Without him, she would be without a dream, without belief in herself, without an inner flame spurring her on every day. Yet the thought of having to progress from just discovering herself was a daunting one. She had tried to block the thought of deciding from her all day, but it just kept intruding. She soon began to think less of her close moments with Ash because of this, and instead dreaded the thought of him not sharing those mutual feelings with her. She knew that Ash was warming to her, it was written clearly in his journal, but the Showcase must have surely disappointed him deep down. He wanted her to win, but she just could not get those extra votes. How things could have been so different. She was feeling a bit of a let-down. But Ash was opening up to her, he wanted to know what's wrong. With the threat of a decision in the back of her mind, she began to use the valuable time she had with him.

"Ash... Are you sure you're not mad at me for coming 2nd in the Showcase?" She asked tentatively, her accumulating tears from before were drying. He sat back and raised his eyebrows.

"Of course not!" He sharply responded.

"But... what if I lost again?"

"That's not the right way to think about it. We never give up until it's over! You just have to keep training. " He added with confidence.

She plucked up the courage to ask about _his_ future now.

"But... what if I'm still failing when you eventually leave Kalos..?" Her heart thundered at her words before silence struck. Ash looked shocked, like he had never thought of such a scenario before.

"I've never really thought of that..." He couldn't elaborate much further. Inside he was kicking himself; what could he possibly say?!

"But, I know you're strong." He continued. Silence descended once more, this time longer than ever. He watched as her head slowly dropped, like he was losing her from him. He began to whisper, it pained him to think ahead like this, not when that thought was so far into the future.

"And... I don't want to have to think about leaving you..." His head also dropped, but Serena's shot up. He felt himself for the first time sharing Serena's emotions.

"What if you're Kalos champion and I'm still without a win..? Tears were beginning to form once more. The silence was creeping back, but Ash acted upon this. He picked up his backpack, and under her tearful watching eyes opened it, and reached deep inside. Out came the handkerchief. The one she recognised instantly. The symbol of their relationship. He had remembered, he had kept it. He looked down and gazed at it, neatly folded, still carrying so many memories from their encounters.

He held it up to her. "How long did you wait to return this..?"

Serena thought for a moment. "A... long time." Their voices had become soft and tender.

"Then I can wait too... Not just wait, I'll be supporting ya. I want to see you achieve your dream. I-want to..." He began to stumble on his words, but Serena had lost the nerve to let it go.

"Say it Ash!" She demanded. He took a deep breath.

"I want to be with you until the very end... We can't give up, can we?" The confident flare of Ash once again shone, but this time it was mixed with a softer side that only Serena had come to know. She didn't know how to reply, was this making things any easier? The thought of Ash staying with her may have been nice, but could she go on for that indefinite amount of time making him hold his dream while he catered for hers? She only felt worse. Her situation was spiralling into misery.

Their time in the café had withered on, as they slumped towards the exit. Serena looked lifeless, dejected by the mix of emotions she found within her. The festival wouldn't start until later at night, so they still had time as they approached the evening. The sun had began to melt in the sky, and once again an orange light began to glow around Laverre City. The two of them walked on, on a road leading to nowhere in particular. Ash had decided to carry all of their bags, while Serena walked beside him, occasionally conjuring up the slightest hint of a smile as he struggled to carry everything. She was happy like this, being next to Ash was all she ever needed. Yet is the world in which her dream lies exclusive from where she's happy? The two kept walking, Serena savoured every moment, knowing that the more she thought about it, the more she would pressure herself to think and eventually make a decision. She did not want to slam one door in the face of the other though. If she was going to be strong, and work independently, then first she would find the courage to let Ash know how she felt; but what she had now didn't feel enough. It was almost as if she knew she couldn't go along without Ash. The truth is, she felt a lot more positive after their talk the previous night. It was only until her nightmare struck that she began to think these horrible thoughts. If only he knew, then he would guide her, like he always did; yet Ash walked on thinking he still had an eternity with Serena, where he could advance to the next city where the two could both go for it once again. The longer he went on without knowing, the more painful it would be, while it certainly wasn't fair on him, either. Yet she became weary, all of this thinking, how everything was becoming complex; forgetting to focus on the things that made her happy- spending time with the people she loved. That one particular person was walking right next to her right now- and she was tired. She let out a light yawn and looked at Ash, still with a look of concern on his face. While continuing to walk she held on lightly to his arm, and rested her head gently on his shoulder, trying her best to express her fatigue, and more importantly- get closer to him. Ash felt his chest tighten as Serena approached him.

"Tired from all that shopping today, huh..." He spoke softly to her ear.

"Mhmm." She uttered while burying her head deeper into his shoulder. Ash felt a sense of pity for poor Serena, she still seemed stressed after the Showcase. He gently lifted up her hat, and patted her on the head a little bit, while telling her "it's all right". She seemed to react positively, and smiled slightly as she snuggled into his broad shoulders, occasionally wiping her tiring eyes. The two seemed to feel calmer after the tension in the café, and so Ash thought he take some time to enjoy the evening with Serena before they reunited with Bonnie, Clemont and Pikachu for the festival.

"We've done a lot of walking today, let's go and relax by the forest!" Ash suggested, as she looked up and gazed at him. She was crushing deeply once more, and nodded at his suggestion- an unusually romantic one for Ash.

The two wondered off into the forest, with Serena still maintaining a grip on Ash's arm. They approached the edge of a cliff on the outskirts of Laverre City, and sat down to admire the view in front of them. The lights of the festival were beginning to come into view, as the day descended ever closer to night. They looked around at everywhere they had been in the past few days. The huge tree where the gym was located, the Pokemon Centre and its large field, the Fan Club which they won't be visiting again in a hurry, the café they had just been to, the various shops including the yukata store, and of course the Showcase stadium. The view shone light on the bitter-sweet emotions felt in and around Laverre. Yet if anything, Serena's guide was wrong. The "easing of tension" remained false, as she tried to force thoughts about her career further back in her mind. Instead, she sat down, and breathed in the fresh forest air with Ash next to her. Ash looked on, but didn't seem particularly astounded with the view on sight. Instead, he focused on the surge of excitement he felt around Serena. Usually the thought of a Pokemon battle was enough to get Ash's adrenaline pumping, but around Serena it had recently become a slightly different feeling. A warm, yet calming sense of excitement. If he was to ever talk about these sorts of feelings with Serena, it was to be now, as they looked on at the glowing rural city lights.

Once again she rested her head on Ash's shoulder, only this time Ash rested his head on top of hers. It was instinctive, nothing nerves could prevent. Serena felt peaceful, yet pondered the thought of taking his hand. Daylight was quickly fading, and she realised this was the perfect opportunity to talk honestly to Ash. Their talks had previously been mainly concerning Serena's Showcase, yet this time it was just about each other, an opportunity that very rarely ever came around. She took off her hat, and let her hair breathe in the breeze. Ash did the same, as they both looked at each other and smiled.

"Are you looking forward to the festival later?" Ash asked, hoping to hear that Serena's mood had lifted.

"Mhmm" She replied as if to say "yes."

"Are ya sleepy?" Ash was keen to understand what was going through her mind.

"I'm just... happy right here." She whispered back. Ash felt his face begin to slowly turn red, Serena's was already burning.

"... Me too."

Before long he soon found himself caressing her hair, it was so soft he couldn't stop himself. It was useless trying to resist it.

"Ash... Do you think we'll always be together..?" She once again asked, with a hint of anxiety beginning to crop up in her voice.

"You're always asking that! Always, until the very end." He calmly responded. She said nothing, and sunk further into his shoulder. Ash's concerns were on the rise once again, she had her moments where she would slip into silence and daydream away. With no one around, Ash took a deep breath, and began to venture into a realm he had no experience with at all- a girl's mind.

"Serena... You've been acting kinda funny today... You know you can tell me if something's up, right?" Yet she didn't respond again, just burying her head away further. He began to play with her hair again. "C'mon... You're strong, this isn't like you." He whispered after rustling her hair a bit more. Immediately after his statement he began to feel a wetness on his shoulder. His jacket was becoming slightly damp, an uncomfortable damp. He instinctively jerked away from Serena to check what was going on. It certainly wasn't raining. He inspected the slightly darker blue wet patch on his jacket, and then looked over to Serena, now sitting up. Her eyes had strained into a light red, as tears accumulated around them, and filled to the brim before overflowing, and slowly trickling down her cheek. Her tears became heavier, each and every last one that spilt down her face was accompanied by a sorrowed sniffle. Her eyes looked sad again, and were aimed directly at Ash, unaware that he was her shoulder to cry on for the past few minutes. He grabbed her by the shoulders, and stared back at her.

"Serena c'mon! You've gotta tell me what's wrong!" He yelled. She shook her head to free herself from the tears, but they kept flowing, with a few being shaken off, only to land on Ash's face.

"Serena, please..." He whispered more softly this time, but she kept her head facing down.

"I don't want to tell you." She choked back.

"Tell me" He shook her by the shoulders so that she would snap out of it. She responded by looking up and wiping her nose, followed by the stare of her sore eyes. She opened her mouth to speak, but the force of her sorrows prevented her from uttering a word before throwing her head into her hands.

"Is it about the Showcase..?" He really had no idea, but how could she blame him when this all stemmed from one mere nightmare? Frustrated by herself, she once again rubbed her eyes, and faced up to tell Ash. After all, he was there for her, he cared- therefore he deserved to know.

"I- I couldn't sleep last night." She began to speak, still struggling though as her heartbeat raced.

"I had a nightmare... One that felt so real."

"What about..?"

"It's hard to explain... But it's been hurting me all day. I feel like... like I'm being forced into deciding..." She choked harder this time, Ash put his arm around her back to relax her. It was hurting him seeing her like this, he wanted to do something, anything to help her.

"It made me think... What if I can't make my breakthrough in performing..? I've got so much to learn, so much to see and do, still. But we can't keep travelling like this forever, there'll come a day when Clemont and Bonnie will return to Lumiose, and you'll have finished the league, and r-r-return to Kanto!" Her words hurt her, they came out sharply, hurting her throat each time she spoke. She covered her eyes with her hands, as she looked ahead into the unforeseeable future.

"And then, and then what will I do? What if I'm still trying to get three Princess Keys? Am I really worth the hassle, making you all wait so much.." She continued, but Ash shook her violently. He felt as if he was being wound up, he felt so aggravated by Serena's negative thoughts. They were thoughts only a traumatic nightmare could inflict.

"Serena snap out of it!" He pulled her hands away from her head and moved close to her. The two were face-to-face.

"And then it made me think... For the sake of my dream... for the sake of my future... for the sake of everything... Am I better off, going alone? To train hard each and every day until I reach that goal?"

He moved even closer. "Why would you want to do that?!"

"But Ash I don't want to keep disappointing you like this!" She withered on, but Ash refused to let her continue in this way.

"Serena!" He shouted. His warm breath encapsulating her, capturing and bringing all of her attention to him.

"You can't go alone. You just can't! That dream was just a nightmare, you have to forget it. Think about it. We've been travelling together for a long time, you, me, Clemont and Bonnie. After all of this time what do we mean to you?" He passively asked. She paused for a moment and thought.

"You guys... are like a family to me."

"That's right. That's why we have to stick together. Everyday we learn something new, try something new. We laugh through good times and stay strong for one another in the bad times. That's the basis of raising Pokemon and it's no different with all of us." He wiped a tear from her eye before continuing. Fully in control of his emotions, he felt as if he needed to branch out to Serena further. For once everything was becoming so clear, he was in control.

"Without you Serena... I wouldn't have the same passion for battling every day that I have now." His tone had changed from barking to soft whispering. She slowly looked up once more, his warm words were starting to defrost her from the cold reality she wanted to turn her back on , as she felt her stomach rumble as her eyes were moistened with tears once again. Yet she had to work hard. She had to pursue her dream, it was her goal, one of her reasons for travelling Kalos. It was only one reason though. She just wanted to be able to walk each road, each route in Kalos and beyond to further regions with Ash. The chance for that might never come though; how could she leave her loved ones like this? What tough realities does one have to face to become Kalos Queen?

The sun sank further, as the light still watched on over the two of them. Serena looked again at her treasured ribbon, proudly feeling its soft texture. Yet she couldn't stop her heartbeat. She knew she had to confess it all, that she had to finally give up her secrets. Ash had given her everything recently, and now she had to show him what she felt. Her heart told her to stay, but her mind, tainted by her visions from last night, told her to go.

"Ash... Can I tell you something?" She looked up, dreading the bemused look in his eyes.

"Of course, anything."

"I never want to leave your side. Clemont's and Bonnie's too. You're all like family to me... But Ash, you're special, you're the most important person I've ever met. Every day with you is like a dream, every moment is special. I waited for the day we would meet again for what felt like forever, and I immediately set out to Lumiose City... to find you once more. Ever since that day all that time ago, I've always thought how glad I am to be with you. Without you... I wouldn't have a dream. Without you, I wouldn't have a reason to be happy each and every day. Ash, I don't want to leave you-" She cried before burying her head further in despair. Ash looked on bewildered, was she confessing to him? Was this how she felt? Ash's heart skipped a beat, yet he couldn't tolerate Serena being in such pain like this.

"Ash... What should I do?!" She cried again, but Ash seized her by the shoulders and pulled her in close. He set out to reignite her flame.

"Serena... Look at what we've managed to already accomplish together. Look how far we've come... Together, I'm going to become a Pokemon Master, and you're going to become Kalos Queen. You can't go alone, I-I- don't want you to. In times like this we all pull through, and help each other out. Braxien and Pancham too, they have friends which they never want to leave. Serena, snap out of it! It's nothing more than a nightmare!"

His eyes seemed to plea out to her, she gazed into them deeply. She gazed hard enough, and she saw his soul; his beating passionate heart. She wanted it. The two had leaned in so close now that their heads were resting on each other in the heart-to-heart moment. Their minds synced, and it was then she remembered her motives, her reasons to smile, for Ash's infinite heart was what spurred her on each day. The cramping pain of her nightmares was nothing to fear, for she would wake up with her dearest friends alongside the one she loved close to her.

"Serena... stay with us, stay with me." Those striking amber eyes seized her, and once again she felt herself melting under his gaze.

She then suddenly felt as if everything had clicked together once again.  
"The next Showcase, wherever it may be, it's yours. I know it. I can feel it! We're gonna keep trying and trying again, because that's how ya succeed!" He exclaimed as his body tensed with adrenaline. His eyes were twinkling as he felt Serena lean in closer. In her mind she was escaping from the clutches of her nightmare, and falling back into her rightful place with Ash.

She didn't have to decide. There was no decision. What had tried to separate the two had only bought them closer together, as they sat there resting on each other below the softly melting sky. The stars were shining once again. The two briefly sat in silence, satisfied in their thoughts until Serena started laughing to herself. Ash looked over to see her big grin.

"What's up?" Once again he was baffled at her mood swings.

"Now I just... I just feel really happy! I _will_ definitely ace my next Showcase! I can't lose!"

"That's the spirit!" He joined in with her delight, wherever it had suddenly come from.

"And Ash... thank you so much." Before he had time to dismiss her gratitude she had jumped over him once again, like after his gym battle. He had been forced to the floor by Serena, as she anchored her arms either side of his face, where she leaned on top of him.

"Thank you..!" She exclaimed again, this time with her eyes tearing up with joy. He felt himself become slightly red as she eclipsed the sky, but couldn't scratch his nose or cheeks as she held on tightly to him, relieved that her little episode had an ending. Serena eventually released Ash, where he joined in her laughter from their little moment. Ash let himself dwell in his new found feelings of joy, he never knew being pinned down like that could actually be so fun. He was also relieved for Serena's sake, he knew it was best for her, and in reality he was more than happy that she would stay by him.

He still hadn't given much thought to actually telling her more of what he felt though. "There's a time and a place for everything." Professor Oak once famously said; Ash believed he would leave everything up to fate to occur. On the other hand, Serena had been riding up and down the emotional spectrum for too long, and it was there on the edge of the forest that she thought she would carry out their fate for herself. The two were once again sitting there in their own peaceful silence, enjoying the view, the warm temperature, and of course, each other. She took a deep breath, and looked over to Ash with a warm smile, an ever deepening blush as her heart-rate began to kick into overdrive over what she was about to do. She conjured up all of her strength possible and was about to confess everything, and let the anxieties that she kept for so long, finally run free. It was time to let him into her heart.

"If we're really going to be together... until the very end.. then um, can I ask you another thing?

He looked at her with wide eyes and red cheeks. He gave a small nod, as he turned to directly face her, where their eyes met.

The lights reflecting off of the night's stars suddenly got brighter.

"Ash... can I tell you my secret?"


	13. What You Mean To Me

**Chapter 13: What You Mean To Me**

"Secret?" Ash suddenly became alert.

"Yeah." She confidently replied with a nod. She was at the point of no return now, Ash was going to know. After all the events that had happened recently, she had found herself coming out of them stronger than ever. She had been thrown into the spotlight at the fan club, and then cruelly pushed out of it during the Showcase. Yet there there she was, standing strong, and a better person at the end of it all. A lot of it was down to Ash. She couldn't deny. With her new found confidence she plucked up the courage to tell him everything. It was a beautiful summer night, and the festival was starting soon. Her warm feelings of excitement and romance nestled comfortably in her stomach, only accompanied by her heart naturally racing away at her moment of confession. The fear of rejection was a thing of the past, for she had overcome everything, it was Ash now who would have to be strong for her.

She looked into his eyes, and recalled that she could adamantly believe him when he said they'll always be together. If they were going to continue that way, then there was one thing he needed to know. What she had hidden for so long was no longer going to be a secret.

"Are you listening? I've never told anyone this before..." She hinted to keep his focus on her, not that it was ever going to go anywhere. Ash's eyes remained solely on Serena, as she began to open her mouth to speak.

"Well..." She took a huge intake of breath.

"The truth is Ash, ever since the start, when we began travelling together. I've always enjoyed being by your side. In fact I felt this way back in camp when we were little. The way you could live alongside Pokemon like they were your friends, and the way you helped my knee and took my hand meant I often thought about you long after I left. It was that day so many years later when you bravely jumped from Lumiose Tower that I thought I recognised you, and that feeling hit me once again." Serena's words gracefully left her lips as Ash began to feel a sense of deja vu. Ash's heart-rate doubled as he recalled his confusion over what he was feeling inside.

"From that point when we started travelling together... Although we weren't alone and had Clemont and Bonnie with us, I realised... I had a crush on you."

Time stood still as the words circled around Ash's mind. Her eyes were glimmering in the light from the stars, on a night like this she looked prettier than ever. Serena began to tense up, her initial relaxed posture became serious.

"As time went on, you never seemed to notice!" She let out a nervous laugh before continuing.

"Which I guess was both good and bad. I was too shy to say anything, but then again I wanted you to know. It kind of kept with me for a while. That wasn't the only thing though. When we started travelling, I was just wondering around, but thanks to you, and everything you've done for me, I have a dream that I can aspire to now, I can become stronger." He smiled at her warm words, she always seemed so grateful for his encouragement, yet she still continued.  
"When I lost my first Showcase back in Courmarine City, you kept your faith in me, and you told everyone I was strong. After I decided a change was necessary, I used that ribbon you gave me, because I treasured it so dearly, because it was from you. When I showed everyone, Clemont seemed shocked and Bonnie slightly disappointed, but you... You reassured me, even complimenting me." She began to laugh again while nervously blushing. "It may have seemed like nothing, but it meant a lot to me at the time!" Ash's smile got brighter as time went on, yet so did his face, as once again he felt himself beginning to blush. He was being flattered, but his warm feelings were mainly in admiration for the honey-blonde girl in front of him.

"And now here in Laverre City, a lot has happened. Sawyer thought we were boyfriend and girlfriend... which was secretly nice to hear." She winked slightly at Ash, to warm him into what she was about to say. "Then after your gym battle, we had those nights where we would talk under the stars, like now. These kind of nights with you... They're special to me. Although I've been a bit of a handful recently, like in the fan club and after the Showcase... you've always been there for me. Even after that nightmare now, you've made me feel... happy. You always make me feel happy!" She took in a huge breath and looked back up to Ash. "So if we're going to always travel together, then I want you to know... I will always be doing my best for you and everyone around me, because I don't want to anything to change. I want to play with Bonnie like she's my little sister, I want to laugh at Clemont when his inventions blow up, and I want to walk every mile by your side, and to help you, just like you always help me. Besides, your stomach needs filling a lot right?" The two both laughed, but Serena tensed up once again, and held on tightly to her clothes. Ash noticed her begin to shake slightly, as her words became more difficult to release. While she believed in herself, letting it all out was never going to be a simple task, but the moment was now. There was no going back. She was going to tell him.

"I've thought recently, particularly after last night, that I don't want to ever be separated from you, because until the very end I will never be able to change! Ash... I really like you, you're so much more than a friend. I can't help it, I really can't! Even if I've tried to."

Those big blue eyes then gazed up at him.

"Ash... until the very end... I-I can't change the fact that I love you."

Her words flew into Ash's mind and embraced him. Her feelings had become his reality right in front of his very eyes.

"It's no longer my secret any more, Ash. It's ours."

She added, as his eyes widened after she had confessed. In that split second she felt the weight of the world leave her shoulders. She told him that she loved him, and what felt like an eternity then passed before she could finally get a reaction from Ash. He looked down, and scratched his cheek. His heart was pressing against his chest, like it was trying to leave him and run to Serena. She had openly said it to him, and Ash felt that fate had welcomed him in open arms. It turned out she had his secret all along, and after what she had just said, he now had hers.

The silence was making Serena more uncomfortable. The longer it went on the more she began to doubt what had just happened; whether he had understood her words, whether he was feeling awkward because he didn't feel the same. She began to play with her fingers, rapidly beginning to question whether she had just done the right thing. She wanted to immediately cut the silence, before the situation turned sour.  
"Ash, I'm sorry- I-I-just wanted to tell you. I-" She stuttered before Ash suddenly interrupted her.  
"No-no-it's, um, do you... wanna hear mine?" He had stumbled on words that she honestly never expected to hear. He approached her, with a warm smile that contained just a hint of anxiety, as he tried to express his newly found feelings. He had only kept it as secret the night before, but already it would come out. Chance was having its way.  
"Lately I've been feeling really funny. In the fashion show I saw you and suddenly began to think differently. I thought that I was ill or something, y'know it being summer and all. I scribbled it down in my journal, and then you saw it. From then on everything was so weird. I enjoy our nights together too, because every time, I get this warm feeling in my stomach, a sorta nice feeling, y'know?" His voice invited Serena to empathise, she could only conjure up a small nod as she sat there, leaning in closer to him to check she wasn't in another dream. A reality that she had never anticipated was unfolding.  
"After the Showcase, we were all really worried about you. I wanted to help, because I knew how much it meant to you. I wanted to do anything, because that feeling kept leading me to you. Naturally we all spoke about what to do when you were upstairs that evening, and I told Clemont and Bonnie about this feeling and what it meant. Bonnie suddenly said... it was to do with love, but... how should I know? I began to think more and more, and soon... I lost sleep over it. So I went out last night and ran around the city with my Pokemon with me. I started explaining everything to them, too. They all seemed so pumped up, they seemed to get it, they seemed to know. After that, I made up my mind!" His voice became more powerful, as she kept looking closely at Ash to check it was really him saying those words.

"W-w-what did they say..?!" Serena hassled Ash to tell her, she felt her eyes begin to tear up.  
"They all thought the same. Fletchinder even seemed to know everything right from the beginning, Pikachu too. I felt kinda stupid for a while, and kept it a secret." He paused for a moment, and then realised what he was about to say. He imagined the words being said, and noticed they were coming from _his_ lips this time.  
"That warm feeling is always around you... I can't seem to help it either. If Bonnie's right, which everyone seems to think so, then Serena... I..."  
He made a robust gulp.

"I think I'm in love with you."

Serena's pupils dilated as her stomach danced with deliriousness. The raven-haired boy she had kept her feelings from for so long had just confessed his feelings. Ash Ketchum wasn't a romantic. He wasn't used to any form of relationship other than friendship. Yet there he was, seemingly still confused with the fact he was experiencing love for the first time. In front of her he innocently sat there, speaking words he could never quite understand, but could definitely feel.

Laverre's huge tree suddenly lit up with festival lights as the sounds of a crowd began to be heard. They sounded as if they were cheering, cheering for both Ash and Serena all that distance away, who had just eased any sense of tension within them. "Laverre... the easing of tension." Serena recalled what the guide had said and smiled, she had never once thought it would be true like this. It was a dream, a miracle almost. Her eyes were tearing up even more now, she could feel her emotions fusing into pure tears of joy. Ash knew. Not only did he know, he understood her. To take it a step further, not only did he understand, he empathised, he felt her. With open arms they had taken a place in each other's hearts, even if Ash wasn't used to what was going on. In truth, neither was Serena, but she had held these feelings tight for so long that it all suddenly felt worth it. She suddenly reached out and pulled him close, fastening her arms behind his back, as her red-faced boy looked up into the rippling waves in her blue eyes.  
"Ash..." She whispered before pulling him in tight into a hug. Ash felt the warm feelings of love take over his body, as he put his arms around her back, and tightened. He felt her soft body squeeze under the weight of his arms. He realised he liked it, and the confusing illusion of love was becoming all the more clear to him by each embrace.  
"Do you know what love is now?" She whispered with an overjoyed smile. Tears began to trickle down from her eyes once more, but Ash knew that this time they were tears of genuine happiness. He wiped a tear from her cheek. "Yeah... I think so." She couldn't hold back her joyful tears as they held each other close, before gazing directly in each others' eyes in their tender moment.  
"Do you know what this makes us?" She teasingly whispered. Her smile had become a grin, as she made the most of their moment alone with each other on the edge of the city's landscape. She capitalised on his adorable innocence. Ash replied with a face of confusion. He hadn't considered what would happen at this point.

She answered for him. "I suppose we're... boyfriend and girlfriend, right?" She smiled at Ash's innocently perplexed face. They had always endeavoured to convince Sawyer otherwise, Bonnie as well, yet how times change. Miette was always asking too far ahead when she asked whether Ash had a future bride, but in this very moment right now, Serena felt on top of the world in Ash's arms. Her boyfriend was practically clueless with his knowledge of love, yet his ever adventurous heart was nothing short of cute in her mind.

"Do you know what boyfriends and girlfriends do?" Ash looked on bemusedly as he felt himself being quizzed. A step into the unknown had far more areas than Ash could have ever dreamt of. He gave in, admitting his lack of answer.

"Uhh..." He genuinely seemed clueless. Serena giggled to herself, before turning back with half open eyes.

"Can I show you?"

Ash didn't have time to reply, as in that moment she threw her arms around his neck once more, and slowly leaned in. She lightly planted her lips against his, and shut her eyes as she felt Ash's lips come into contact with hers, under the soothing moonlight and glistening stars, she kissed him. Her lips melted into his, as he felt the excitement and essence of love tingle around his mouth. Ash's jaw dropped slightly as Serena pulled away, still smiling, still overjoyed. He smiled back, and realised for the first time he had been genuinely kissed on the lips. Caught up in the moment, he decided to show Serena he wasn't embarrassed, and stretched out his neck to respond by placing a snappy gentle reply of a kiss on Serena's soft lips. He awkwardly fumbled in his actions, but that wasn't to stop her as she flushed a deep crimson red, where Ash felt his body surge with excitement. He was beginning to get it, and suddenly felt no nerves, only the feeling of elation that could only be felt with Serena. Calling her his girlfriend would take a lot of getting used to for him, but they would save that for another day. All that mattered now was their company together, and following their recent emotional roller-coaster, relaxing with each other in the summer night was the only thing that seemed important. It had been an unmistakably happy end to the day for the both of them, Serena occasionally would giggle to herself as she lied down on the grass and ran her fingers through Ash's raven hair. The two were lying there, holding each other, Serena had her other arm holding onto Ash's hand.

"How are we going to tell this to Bonnie and Clemont?" Ash wondered.

"They'll find out. Clemont's a genius, and well, Bonnie sort of found out during the fashion show." She began to explain.

"How?"

She put an arm behind her head and laughed briefly.

"Well the whole idea was to surprise you that night!"

Ash looked up to the night sky, and smiled once more, before turning back to face Serena.

"Y'know, I'm glad you did..." He softly said into her ear.

She turned onto her side and buried her head into his chest. He placed an arm on her back, and gently began to caress it, just like she did to him those few nights before.  
"We should get back soon, the festival's starting." She mumbled from his chest, she was just about audible. They both thought how they didn't want to go, yet the festival called for them, and so were Bonnie and Clemont probably too. They had been gone slightly longer than Ash had said in the morning. She slowly dragged herself up, and once again had two arms locked either side of Ash's face.

"Shall we go then, Ash?" She gently asked.

"Yeah, let's go Serena." The two got up, and walked away from their hidden location situated on the edge of Laverre's nearby forest. As they walked on, Serena reached for Ash's hand with confidence this time, as the two walked on closer than ever before, hand-in-hand. Serena had the widest grin on her face imaginable.

Upon returning to the heart of the city, the streets had emptied, as everyone had gathered near Valerie's stage where the summer firework festival was located. The two would need to change into their yukatas, and so they headed back to the Pokemon Centre. With their hands interlocked and linked closely when walking through the entrance, Nurse Joy couldn't hide her delight at seeing the two together in that way. She winked at Ash, understanding what his little night expedition was all about. He responded with a nervous smile, as Serena led him upstairs to their room, where at the door was a note pinned. Ash picked it off and began to read it with Serena.  
 _"We're already at the festival- Bonnie wouldn't wait!_

 _See you there!_

 _-Clemont"_

The two laughed at the thought of Bonnie nagging her older brother for so long, forcing him to write a note in a rush, and felt slightly guilty at leaving them hanging like that. They would probably understand soon enough though. The two entered and laid their bags onto their beds. Serena pulled out her rose red yukata, while Ash held up his newly-bought navy one. Although they were now a 'couple', they both respected each others' privacy, and went off to different rooms to change. Serena had gleefully slipped straight into her yukata, leaving the bow slightly loose for Ash to complete her outfit for her. Ash for once was taking care at his appearance, making sure his hair looked presentable, and once again seemed pleased with his navy attire for the evening. He returned grinning, while Serena stood there blushing, swaying side to side as she turned around, hinting at her loose bow. She just so happened to be standing directly in front of the mirror, where Ash appeared behind her, as the two looked at their reflections while Ash tightened the bow. In the mirror lied a grinning, shining couple.  
"There; shall we get going? I wonder how Pikachu's been doing all day." He suggested.

"Yeah! Braxien and Pancham too, I'm sure they'll be happy to get some fresh air."

The two ensured they had all of their PokeBalls and had one last look at each other in the mirror before Serena turned to him again.

"How do I look, Ash..?"

In front of him she stood in her gorgeously elegant floral red yukata, with her honey blonde hair shining in the light. Those crystal clear blue eyes twinkled, and gazed warmly at him.

He turned back to her, recalling the word he could only ever think of when by her side. There was no use hiding anything any more.

"You look... beautiful, Serena."

* * *

 _Author's Note: And at last they reveal their feelings! Ash may be dense, and taking a while to get the grasp of 'loving', but he's trying! Now, the festival is starting at last. Only this time, Ash and Serena will enter it as a couple; I wonder what Bonnie and Clemont will say?_

 _Once again thank you so much to everyone who has reviewed, shared, favourited, and followed this story. Your support really does mean a lot to me. I have to be honest, the week's wait to release this chapter felt like a very long one, especially when the XY anime is having a break! Alongside that I will receive my exam results tomorrow. The grade boundaries look horrifically high, so I'm not feeling great about the whole ordeal. Still though, hope you've all enjoyed this chapter, and thank you for the support!_


	14. Essence of Summer

Chapter 14: Essence of Summer

Having left their room, they began to make their way out of the Pokemon Centre, and towards the scene of the festival. The cheerful sound of the Laverre locals already enjoying themselves began to increase in volume with every step. Ash and Serena walked down the narrow streets, with their hands naturally linking together, holding onto each other as they made their way to the festival to meet Bonnie and Clemont once again. Serena would occasionally squeeze on Ash's hand along the way, she would enjoy herself tonight. After a saga of anxieties had already passed, she would enjoy herself, knowing that she had Ash by her side.

As the two neared the scene, Ash too started to squeeze ever so slightly on Serena's hand, making her tingle inside with delight. She couldn't keep the grin off of her face. The sun was down, but the temperature still high, music was playing from afar as the two came into sight of the large Laverre tree. From where they had been watching before, they merely looked like lights; only now did they realise that a group of Volbeat and Illumise had gathered to dance around Laverre's ancient monument. Their glowing tail lights lit up the scene in front of them, as Serena felt their soft glow charm the fabric on her rose coloured yukata. She noticed a small grin on Ash's face out of the corner of her eye, as his eyes began to twinkle. They couldn't help but admire each other's appearance in their yukatas, particularly Serena, whose cheeks had become as rosy as the colour she was wearing herself.

Eventually, the small traditional buildings they had navigated through gave up their secrets, and the summer festival presented itself in front of them. There it was, a sea of colour, every local of the city had turned out in their own yukatas, with a vast array of colours and patterns on display. Such a wonderful collection of clothes reminded Serena of Valerie's influence on the city, and whether the two would bump into her once more. The two stopped for a moment and looked around; stalls of games, amusement rides, karaoke, food, and ready-to-launch fireworks enticed their view. It was a warm atmosphere; a sense of unison within the city had come alive, as Ash and Serena now linked arms to walk into the night gathering. The smell of fresh scented candles greeted them, with lanterns being hung up, the two noticed most stall-owners preparing their own ready-made lanterns to send floating into the sky. Ash and Serena admired the craftsmanship that had gone into making the festival special. They stood at the entrance and gasped in amazement, they didn't know where to go first! Serena then had a moment of realisation.

"I wonder where Bonnie and Clemont have gone off to?" She wondered.

"Beats me." Ash thought he would have noticed his lemon-haired friends instantly, but amongst the crowd of people were nowhere to be seen. Amongst the sea of colour, a small yellow flash suddenly darted towards the two. It was none of than Pikachu,sprinting towards his trainer after their day away from each other. Both Ash and Serena's faces lit up as the yellow mouse jumped over them, landing on both of their shoulders.

"Hey buddy! How are ya?" He joyfully said while patting Pikachu's head.

"Did you have a good day with Bonnie and Clemont? We were just looking for you guys!" Serena joined in, and tickled Pikachu's stomach. Pikachu laughed with joy for a moment and tried to stay balanced on their shoulders. Pikachu had one foot on Ash's right shoulder, with another on Serena's left. Amongst his chirps of "Pika pika!" he looked down and noticed their linked arms. His face lit up with more glee, as he looked into the eyes of the blushing pair, and jumped down again. Pikachu began to rumble some electricity within his cheek pouches, signalling to Dedenne that he had found them.

Over the other side of the festival site, Dedenne felt its cheeks begin to light up with electricity, and began running around on Bonnie's head. The group had found themselves a free spot to keep their bags safe, where Clemont had set up the table and chairs. The Lumiose siblings were both donning their electric yellow yukatas, reminiscent of the style of their gym from back home. Clemont seemed to be rummaging through his toolbox, as he got to work on another invention. While he was hard at work, Bonnie noticed Dedenne excitably run off into the direction of Pikachu, where she soon followed. Bonnie ran hard to try and keep up with her orange friend while lifting up the bottom of her yukata to avoid tripping. Dedenne's joyful cries began to get louder as they neared Ash, Serena and Pikachu. Bonnie arrived at the scene, and upon getting first glimpse of the blushing couple, still arm in arm, immediately tripped head over heels right in front of them.

"It's Bonnie!" Ash exclaimed.

"Is she okay?" The two knelt down to check whether Bonnie was fine after that fall, as she seemed to lie there for a while. She began to let out an almost sinister laugh, one similar to Clemont when he was about to unveil a new invention. Immediately to Ash and Serena's surprise she leaped up with her hands in the air and stars in her eyes.

"It's love! It's love! They're in love!" She chanted at the top of her voice, dancing around with Pikachu and Dedenne. Ash chuckled while scratching his cheek as Serena flushed a deep red. She fastened another hand over Bonnie's hyper mouth.

"Not so loud!" She shrieked.

"I knew it I always knew it! You two are so cute together! We have to show my big brother!" She squealed before inviting Ash and Serena over to their little camp.

"C'mon, we've found a nice little spot!"

The group headed back to where Clemont was working on his invention.

"Big brother look! They're so cute!" Bonnie's excitement continued, as Clemont turned around where the light reflected off of his glasses. Serena instantly released her hand from Ash and hid slightly behind his back.

"Did you have a good time shopping together?" Clemont cheerfully asked.

"Y-yes, we've got sparklers!" Serena gingerly replied.

"And food!" Ash happily added.

The two unloaded their bags onto the table, where Serena was hesitant in wondering whether Clemont knew yet, the way Bonnie was so excited made her slightly embarrassed at all of the attention she would attract.

Now that they were settled, Ash and Serena could finally let their Pokemon out to stretch their legs and enjoy themselves.

"Al'right everyone, come on out!" Ash announced.

"Braxien and Pancham, you too!" With a large flash of light, Frogadier, Hawlucha, Fletchinder, Braxien and Pancham leaped out of their PokeBalls to join Pikachu, Dedenne, Chespin, Luxray and Bunnelby. The two electric types gathered everyone around and beamed the news of Ash and Serena to everyone while jumping up and down with glee. The group cheered in delight, as they looked at the ever increasing blush of Serena, and the oblivious Ash, who was enticed in Clemont's invention.

"What are ya making this time, Clemont?" Ash asked, his eyes twinkling at the various nuts and bolts Clemont was fiddling with.

"You'll see soon enough!" He hinted, obviously marvelling at his plans.

"Haven't you noticed yet, they're in love, they're in love!" Bonnie once again squealed, with a chorus of their Pokemon projecting her voice further. Clemont put down his spanner and slowly turned around, removing his glasses.

"Is it true?" He asked with intrigued eyes.

Ash scratched under his nose and began to laugh.

"Yeah-" Serena emerged from behind him.

"-it is!" She put her shyness out of the way and appeared back next to Ash side, taking his hand once more. The sight of this sent the group of Pokemon delirious as Hawlucha and Fletchinder soared into the air, while everyone else jumped onto Luxray's back and ran around in circles with him. Clemont wiped his forehead, almost as if he was relieved.

"Congratulations, you two! It's nice to see everyone so happy!" He joined in with the cheerful mood, but couldn't rest on his laurels for too long.

"Do you know what this means?" Bonnie put on a smirk and began to lightly jab Clemont with her elbow.

"W-what..?" He dreaded what his little sister could possibly be plotting with such a sinister smirk.

"It means you're next! C'mon surely there's a wife for you here somewhere!" Once again excitement had taken over her, as she grabbed Clemont by the arm, and ran off with him to the crowd. With his backpack off, there was no Aipom arm to save him this time. Ash and Serena laughed while watching the two Lumiose siblings dart off on another one of Bonnie's wife-searching missions. The large group of Pokemon were still running around, this time chasing each other. Ash knelt down and began to talk to them.

"Enjoy yourselves tonight everyone, the fireworks will start soon!" He said before they ran off to explore the festival and all of its various stalls. Serena looked around, wondering where to take Ash first as the area buzzed with people laughing and enjoying themselves. Ash got back up to face Serena, now it was just the two of them again. Before they had the chance to say anything it was Ash's stomach that inevitably got in the first word. The rumbling sound made both of them laugh once more. Serena put both of her hands on Ash's.

"It seems somebody's already hungry!" She teased while giggling.

"I know just the place." She held onto Ash's hands and led him over to her first stall that she wanted to visit. She watched as Ash's eyes widened to fit in the vast array of sweets and chocolate on display. His calling stomach wanted to devour everything in one. Serena had already gone to pay for what she wanted while Ash pressed his face against the glass displaying Laverre's various little delicacies.

"Here Ash, we'll share." She held in front of her a large stick full of candy-floss. The light fluffy substance caught his attention immediately, as she giggled at his child-like excitement. The two sat down by a near bench away from the large crowd, and hesitated for a moment over who would bite in first. They slowly leaned in with their heads, but remained locked with eye-contact. They watched each other gradually place their heads into the cloud of soft, fluffy candy-floss. Serena gently bit in with her teeth and came out with a modest chunk, on the opposite side she watched as Ash went in and took out a huge mouthful. The two noticed the difference in sizes and instantly burst out laughing. Serena was in hysterics as she watched Ash try to chew his mouthful which was larger than he could probably handle. She lightly patted his back to help him swallow.

"What have I told you about eating sensibly?" She said a condemning, mother-like voice. The two bit in once again, only this time the fluffy realm of the candy-floss suddenly ended with something warm and soft. Ash and Serena looked up, and in both of their mouths was the same piece of candy-floss. Serena's face surged a strong red, while Ash, naturally, began to chew on their shared piece. Serena felt the fluffy candy-floss begin to run out, as her lips neared ever closer to Ash's. He chewed up the final piece before their lips suddenly met. Ash felt Serena's lips press into his, while Serena felt hers lured ever closer until they made contact. The innocently surprised couple's faces lit up with shyness, but before the they could separate, the two were suddenly halted by a familiar voice, laughing in the distance.

"Oh look at you two! Just as cute as I previously imagined!" The two instantly turned around, with Ash gulping down his last mouthful. They instantly retracted with dropped jaws at the thought that someone had been watching their accidental meeting of lips. In her familiar purple kimono, Valerie appeared, grinning at the sight of the young couple. Once again Serena felt a shock of shyness, as another person had discovered them. Had she been watching the whole time? Serena hid behind what was left of their candy-floss until Ash untimely bit one more chunk off it, which revealed Serena's blushing face. Valerie laughed to herself at Serena's embarrassment.

"I won't disturb your time together. I will be wishing for you happiness when the lanterns are released later." Valerie gracefully said before bowing and taking her leave with a huge grin on her face. Serena felt like the whole of Laverre was now watching her, as she turned back to Ash, who was happily chewing away on the last bit of candy-floss. She watched him, innocently filling his hungry stomach, and shuffled slightly closer to him, smiling. She placed an arm around his back, and rested her head on his shoulder.

"Is Ash's tummy all better?" She said in her most patronising voice possible.

He looked over. "I feel great" He replied while still chewing.

Ash wasn't always a knight in shining armour, and she appreciated that. Ash was always Ash. Whether he was being heroic, or gluttonous- he always acted with his heart- that's what drew her to him, that's why she loved him. Ash couldn't deny that around Serena he had never felt more comfortable in himself. They would never fight, and always believed in each other no matter what. Ash could put all of his faith in her, and never once would she hurt him. They sat there together, grinning at each other, just as the night swung into its main event. Laverre stood still for a moment. Playful Pokemon and children stared up at the sky, an exhausted Clemont took a breather as Bonnie also stopped. Valerie stood at the top of the stage, and raised her hand to give the signal. At that precise moment, a display of hundreds of fireworks soared up into the navy sky. Ash and Serena stood up, and looked directly above them. Laverre watched on, as the sky ignited. Loud bangs and squeals breathed into the night, as shades across the entire rainbow decorated the scenes around. The city was rife with colour, twinkling embers of crackling fireworks danced around the scenery, as the sky bled in shimmers of every colour imaginable. Serena took hold of Ash's hand, and gasped in amazement. Ash squeezed onto her soft skin, and pulled her in close. She placed her hand on his chest and gazed up at the dancing sky, feeling the crackling summer burst its way through the atmosphere. Laverre had ignited, and at that moment, Ash and Serena felt more alive than ever. Never before had they seen fireworks on this scale before- the display at Parfum Palace didn't even come close!

Ash looked over to Serena, to see her twinkling eyes filled with explosive colour. Her mouth was open in amazement, before she looked over at Ash gazing at her. She responded with a gracious smile, and in the moment, pecked him on the cheek. The two shared a moment with their heads leaning against each other, gazing into each others' eyes as the sky lit up behind them. They stood there in a trance of happiness, until the light tugging of Serena's yukata broke the moment. It was none other than Bonnie, excitedly jogging on the spot while watching Ash and Serena together. She had a huge toothy smile and wide open eyes- it seemed she was in another hyperactive mood. Behind them was Clemont, dragging his exhausted body to the scene. The group were together once more, with Pikachu and co. in the distance, already having fun with the sparklers Ash and Serena bought earlier.

"They're beautiful..!" Serena said in an emotional tone to the group. She felt at home with everyone, her travelling family. Her little sister, her geek brother, and of course, her boyfriend.

"They sure are something." Ash added.

"Wait until you see what I have just completed!" Clemont shrugged off his fatigue and spoke with the sense of confidence that the group had become accustomed to hearing once Clemont had finished another one of his inventions. He rushed the group back over to their area, and whipped the covers off his latest creation. He tightened the strings on his yukata and adjusted his glasses, once again reflecting the light of the ongoing fireworks from above.

"The future is now, thanks to science!" He exclaimed, standing up proud for his latest creation.

"What is it..?" Bonnie looked on, bemused.

"I call it the Clemontic Lantern! Or maybe 'Clemtern' would be better, or 'Clemlant'? How about the 'Lantclem'-"

"Nevermind the name what is it?" Bonnie grew impatient.

"Once the firework display has finished, everyone will release their sky lanterns into the air! We will release this, and it will fly higher than any sky lantern has every flown before!" He spoke with a crazy sense of excitement, as the girls looked on, rather baffled. He had created a large sky lantern, with the only difference from the traditional sort being that he had attached a rocket to the bottom. He had certainly been ambitious with this one.

"Science sure is cool, huh Clemont!" Ash was certainly impressed though.

"Now let's fire her up ready for action!" Clemont couldn't wait to get started.

"Already? The fireworks are still going on though!" Bonnie cut in.

"We will be on stand by!" He grabbed his controller, and pressed the big red button that was staring at him in the face. The sky lantern began to hover, almost ominously in front of the group. Serena stepped back and hid behind Ash, worried that something bad was about to happen. As the sound of fireworks crashed high above them, Clemont set his machine ready to take centre-stage.

"Now increasing the thrust on the engine!" He notched the dial up a few clicks, as the group watched the hovering sky lantern begin to jiggle and vibrate with the extra power. Clemont seemed to be absorbed in the moment.

"Is it okay? It's not going to blow up like the others, right?" Serena asked in a heavily worried tone.

"Nonsense! More power!" He increased the thrust on the engine as the sky lantern churned out even more noises. It was now frantically bobbling up and down, with hints of smoke beginning to develop from the rocket. Serena rushed to take cover behind Ash's back as Bonnie clung onto her hand. Ash and Clemont both watched on grinning at his quite frankly, awesome invention- at least in their minds. The sky lantern's clunking steadily got more aggressive as the smoke began to get thicker.

"Is it ready yet?" Ash impatiently asked.

"Um, the controls have seized up!" Clemont frantically responded. Serena and Bonnie both looked at each other.

"You know what that means!" They simultaneously screamed.

In an instant the sky lantern launched itself at jet speed high into the air, where it joined itself amongst the fireworks. Clemont looked on in horror as his new invention shot itself beyond his reach, and subsequently exploded in dramatic style as a shower of nuts and bolts rained upon his misfortune.

"There goes another one..." He uttered dejectedly. Ash put an arm around his shoulder.

"Next time it'll work for sure!" He reassured his downhearted friend. The failed sky lantern had already disappeared beyond the fireworks, which relentlessly continued into the night. Clemont wiped his face from the sweat of when he was building, and joined the group in gazing up at the sky once more. Serena emerged from behind Ash's back, and grabbed him by the waist, resting her head on his shoulder as the looked up. She felt Ash's head lean in to rest on hers, as the two once again felt each others' warmth. Suddenly the sky calmed down for a moment, and seemingly the fireworks had ended.

"Is it over?" Bonnie asked in a sad tone. Serena's smile grew.

"This is the best part." She responded. Her guide had told her about this, the annual summer fireworks festival at Laverre City always finished in the same iconic way. They looked up to the sky once more as one by one, more fireworks ascended into view. They soared high, and for a split second paused; Laverre once again stood still, before the sky erupted into a veil of lavender. The city of such a colour itself was covered by the lights that defined them. The group looked up in amazement, and once again saw a group of flying-type Pokemon, including Ash's Fletchinder and Hawlucha dance around in the sea of Laverre lavender. The big finale of the display, one which Serena didn't want to see end. She released Ash and turned to face him directly. They looked at each other, but this time it wasn't Serena who would make the first move, it was Ash, spurred on by the magical display around him. His understanding of love continued further, as he placed both of his arms around Serena's waist, and invited her in closer to him. Under the lavender sky, she sunk into his chest, burying her head as she felt him caress her soft hair. Bonnie watched the two proudly, before turning back to Clemont again.

"That's going to be you one day, brother!" She teased, to Clemont it sounded more like a threat, as he gulped in dread for what she might have been plotting.

The group sat and watched on as the fireworks reached their climax. Soon the lavender veil had lifted, but the show wasn't finished yet. The group looked around them, where the locals had all taken out their home-made sky lanterns, and lit them ready to send drifting away. The group had already lost their sky lantern, somewhere in space probably, after ripping a hole in the ozone layer. Clemont just hoped that it hadn't rattled Rayquaza all the way up there.

"What an awful shame that was earlier, Clemont!" Once again the familiar voice of Valerie appeared from seemingly nowhere. She had been foreseeing and organising the festival all night long, and watched from afar as their rocket lantern soared off into another dimension. She carried with her one of Laverre's spare sky lanterns, made in a nearby stall for all the locals to get involved.

"We simply cannot have you all left out on a special night like this." She handed them the sky lantern.

"Are you sure it's okay for us to use this? We're sorry about what just had happened..." Serena hesitantly asked while Clemont began to sweat after his antics.

"Well, as a certain dashing young trainer of yours would say, never give up until the end, right? May your next endeavour be a successful one, Clemont." Valerie elegantly responded. Serena blushed at her words, her idol had even taken up Ash's phrase- the two had seemingly become well-known in the past few days, possibly explaining the attention they've received from the locals, and of course, those people who attended the fan club meeting...

Clemont redeemed himself by lighting the flame on the rectangular sky lantern that was made from paper. The Pokemon returned from their expedition and gathered around the group in a circle. Ash, Serena, Bonnie and Clemont each took a corner of their sky lantern. As they watched the locals around them prepare to let their sky lanterns free and unified by the small flame that they held close, they each shared a smile. Serena looked at Ash, Bonnie looked at Serena, Clemont looked at Bonnie, and Ash looked back at Serena. The raven-haired trainer warmly raised his voice.

"Guys, shall we make a wish?"

* * *

 _Author's Note: In case anyone asks, I am aware that sky lanterns are very much a broader Asian custom. With Kalos largely being multi-cultural I wanted to use Laverre as a chance to merge various Asian customs together!_

 _In regards to the story itself, it's time to make a wish for our four heroes now though, as we move onto the finale of our tale..._


	15. Together

**Chapter 15: Together**

The group looked around at each other, each holding a piece of the sky lantern. Ash had suggested to make a wish, where the others looked on positively. With their Pokemon surrounding them, the group prepared to let their sky lantern free, as soon it would take its place in the skies alongside those released by the locals of Laverre City.

The noisy festival atmosphere had calmed to tranquil talking, as every one took a moment to each consider their wishes.

"I wonder what we should wish for?" Clemont pondered while rubbing his chin.

Serena thought of the things she wanted most in the world, but she only need to look to the right of her to see one of them. She remembered how blessed she felt to be able to take Ash's arm on such a beautiful night like tonight. As they prepared to release the sky lantern into the infinite night sky, she smiled, as she looked around and saw the world in unison in front of her. She was with her friends, with Ash, and around the warm peaceful atmosphere that had settled in Laverre City. While she still considered what to wish for, she felt a moment of pure happiness, grinning and blushing as she stood with her travelling family, surrounded by their Pokemon.

"It's said that over the period of thousands of years, families and children have gathered near Laverre City's old tree to make wishes, and spoke their words into their paper sky lanterns so that their voice would be carried beyond the tree and through to the stars! It is also said that those who continue to strive each day, doing nothing but their very best will have their wishes granted, at least that's how the story goes." Clemont explained, as the group listened in amazement. Clemont wasn't the type to be in awe over stories of the past, but even he would probably admit that he was slightly touched by the thought of being involved in the city's ancient annual tradition. He looked on at his travelling friends. To his left was his sister Bonnie, whom he looked out for so dearly. Then opposite him were his special two friends in Ash and Serena, with both of them having finally admitted their feelings, he felt a sense of satisfaction, with a hint of relief. He could at last walk alongside them each day, knowing they were happy with each other. Clemont wanted only the best for his friends, and seeing them smile and blush at each other like that, well, in a way it inspired him. Yet he still had the persistence of Bonnie to contend with- some things never change.

"I know what I want to wish for!" Bonnie raised one arm into the air and jumped up and down. She then pulled over Clemont to begin whispering into her ear. Ash and Serena looked on, puzzled.

"Have you thought about you want to wish for, Ash?" Serena said while edging closer to her boyfriend. He swiftly turned to her, with a wide smile. He was rubbing one finger under his nose again, suggesting he was feeling soft about something.

"You bet." He replied, with a hint of glee in his tone.

"I think I do, too." She then fired back at him with a wink, once again her teasing tone had cropped up in her voice.

In that moment the group turned around, and watched in awe as together, every person of Laverre City came together to release their sky lanterns high above into the summer sky. Slowly and majestically, they began to float, and drift towards the heavens, joining the shining stars with glowing lights of amber, coated in lavender paper.

"Look, it's started!" Bonnie pointed to the glowing sky.

"Then let's make our wishes! Who's first?" Clemont asked.

Ash and Serena looked at each other, and blushed. Ash clenched a fist and pressed it against his heart.

"I wish... for Serena to become Kalos Queen!" He loudly and proudly declared. Serena's eyes lit up and began to sparkle at her raven-haired love. She joined him in the move, and gently placed an open hand over her chest, where her ribbon was usually located.

"And I, wish for Ash to become the Kalos Champion!" She pitched across the group, with emotion filling her voice. The two had spoken from the heart, expressing their eternal faith towards each other. Bonnie and Clemont looked on at the couple, grinning.

"Aren't you gonna make your wishes? Ash asked at the joyous Lumiose pair. The two looked at each other and smiled. They paused briefly before directly facing the two opposite them.

"We wish, for Ash and Serena to always be happy together." The two softly spoke together, as Ash and Serena flushed an elated red. Serena felt tears of happiness begin to accumulate in her eyes once again. Two of her dearest friends had wished upon the kindest act, and she felt overcome by their infinite support, she was eternally grateful, although her smile couldn't stretch far enough to express this. In that moment after they made their wishes, the Pokemon began to cheer as they all let go together, and watched as their sky lantern, which carried the wishes of the travelling family, ascended into the stars.

"Bye-bye!" Bonnie called as she waved the sky lantern away, where it joined the hundreds on their journey to the skies. The beauty of a hundred orange lights amongst the lavender night was a true sight to behold, as Serena felt herself beginning to release tears of happiness once more. The group looked over.

"It's so beautiful..!" She choked on her emotions, and reached for Ash's arm with both hands.

"It sure is an incredible way to end our time in Laverre City." Clemont added, adjusting his glasses as he watched on at the sky.

"I almost don't want to go!" Serena's cheeks flushed a rosy red, as she playfully swung Ash's arm back and forth.

"It's been really amazing..." Ash for once seemed to be speechless. Previously he had leaped from town to town, village to village, city to city and region to region. He had learnt a lot on his travels; he had seen a lot, and experienced a lot. Despite these experiences, he found himself for once realising the value each city brings. He looked around to see the traditional customs, still vibrant in every day life. He then looked at Serena, and himself. He felt nothing but purity, in his yukata, holding Serena's hand. In that moment, he felt grateful, he felt like Laverre City had truly taught him something special- how to see things for what they truly are. He had come to understand the enigmatic realm of Laverre, and also come to understand himself more. He had learnt about what he was feeling, before he then learnt about love. A hectic few days, a crazy, confusing, amusing, but most of all, special few days.

The group then lied down on the open grass, and gazed up at the sky, as they watched the last sky lanterns disappear out of sight. Despite the recent unbearable hot weather sweeping Kalos, Laverre City had a remarkably good water supply from the nearby swamp and forest. Therefore the grass they were lying on was still soft and lush, cushioning the group as they lied there amongst the advancing night. The festival atmosphere had calmed down, and most of the families present were beginning to pack up and return back to their homes. The dancing Volbeat and Illumises had returned to their habitats, while the Pokemon of the group's energy seemed to have run dry for another night. Laverre was returning back to its everyday routine once again, the slower, traditional routine that had defined them for thousands of years. The group shared the moment on the grass, watching as the stars began to twinkle once more after the passing of the lanterns. This time there were no surprise appearances from Valerie or Mr Sukizo. Just the four travellers, enjoying the scenery, and each others' company.

"I'm so glad we get to share these moments together, guys." Serena softly spoke, still feeling the elation of her emotions. Yet she didn't hear a reply, she looked over at the Lumiose twins, already sound asleep. Poor Clemont had asserted a lot of energy trying to build that lantern, while Bonnie's sugar levels would always run dry at some point in the night. Serena turned to Ash, realising they had the moment to themselves once more. Ash didn't reply either though, in fact he seemed to have his attention focussed elsewhere.

"Ash, are you awake..?" She whispered.

"Yeah, I am; but look..." He replied with hushed exasperation. He pointed over to the stage where Serena had performed for the fashion show.

"What is it?"

"Can't you see?"

She looked closely and saw two figures standing near the edge of the stage, seemingly very close to each other, holding hands. Serena rubbed her eyes.

"Wait, it that-?" She looked surprised, Ash laughed.

"Yeah... It's Braxien and Frogadier." He warmly replied, he looked at the two Pokemon sharing a moment.

"Wow..." She smiled once more, as the two quietly watched their Pokemon. Braxien had an arm behind her back, and was seemingly blushing, Frogadier had adopted a shy smile, and was showing his softer side, rarely seen amongst his ninja battling style. In that instant, a shooting star flashed across the clear night sky. The two Pokemon looked up, and Frogadier pointed to the star's direction. The two looked at each other for a moment, before putting their hands together to make a wish. Ash looked on, smiling. It was all starting to make more sense. He saw the feelings of happiness the two Pokemon got from each other, he knew it stemmed from their trainers. He looked back up to the sky and grinned. He felt stupidly happy inside. Once again he looked around, and realised he wasn't alone. High up on a branch in a nearby tree sat two Meowstics, a male and a female. Their paws were linked, as they sat on, swinging their legs from the branch, watching up at the sky together.

He was realising everything now.

How can he feel odd when there are so many evens?

Being together with Serena as a couple for reasons he couldn't quite yet explain felt right to him. Going with his instinct, he followed and trusted his feelings. Having seen Braxien and Frogadier happy together, Ash knew he had a reason to smile when with her. Love was never a hot topic for Ash, only until now had he ever begun to experience it. In the end, he didn't have to understand it, all he needed was to feel it.

A full moon topped off the complete night, as like always, the lights shining down of Laverre were as bright and soothing as ever. He saw the glare and warmth of the moonlight, and turned to Serena, sensing his feelings of love innocently brewing up once more.

"Serena... The moon is kinda beautiful, isn't it?" He softly asked, but no reply. Maybe she had fallen asleep? Ash lied there thinking he was the only one awake, until Serena suddenly turned over, with half-open, dreamy eyes, gazing right at him. In that moment Ash smiled, as she took his arm, wrapped it around her neck and moved in closer to him.

"It sure is." The sleepy girl whispered.

They lied there close, with Ash tightly embracing her as she drifted off to sleep in an instant. Ash felt her press her head against his chest as a pillow, and didn't mind it. She had fallen asleep, but looked so peaceful that he didn't want to move for the rest of the night. He found himself running his fingers though her hair once again, and found it relaxing. Relaxing to the point where time slowed down, everything became slightly hazy, with his head now leaning on Serena's. He felt his skin melt into hers, as the warm satisfaction calmed his eyes, all the way off into a deep, peaceful sleep...

The night's haze of heat continued on, it was a stern heat that thickened the air. The sway of a gentle breeze tendered the sleeping group, as they lied there in a circle, with the Pokemon near, also asleep. The clock that ticked and tocked away on top of the gym had been watching the locals gradually clear, leaving just the sleeping four in sight. There it ticked on, from the hot night to the bursting day. It watched them. The pattern of navy, red and yellow yukatas stayed there, perfectly still, with the navy and red closer, and more comfortable together. The feeling of the sun had remained in force all the way through the night, until it stretched out from the horizon, to bring natural light to the day, as the final embers of candle flames faded out. They had lied there all night. Serena thought she was in a dream, until she would open her eyes, and see Ash's peacefully sleeping face directly next to hers. She didn't want to move, the sun wouldn't disturb her- a lie-in wouldn't hurt at all, right?

The sun lit up the city. Ash felt its piercing brightness gradually begin to push him awake. He felt odd, and somewhat confused. He was sweating. The sensation of a damp yukata and slicked back, shiny hair greeting him as he opened his eyes, and looked around at where he was. He was still at the festival, but it had long since ended. The decorations had quickly disappeared over night, the candles had been blown out, and the locals had all returned to their daily routines. It must have been normal for them, but for Ash and the group, they had fallen asleep and endured a hot night on the grass. There wasn't a cloud in the sky as the sun glared down upon him. His eyes were still adjusting to the light, but the familiar lemon hair of the Lumiose siblings was nowhere to be seen. He tried to rub his eyes, but found his arm caught. Still confused, he blinked rapidly to knock some sense into his eyes, where he then noticed he was holding on tight to something, as if it was very dear. Amongst his unfortunate odour of sweat, what he was holding onto still smelt wonderfully. The rich fragrance of roses danced around him, as his eyes finally came into focus. He smiled. That 'something' was none other than Serena. The two had snuggled up close together all night long, all the way into the morning. He watched her peacefully rest, where she had a smile of satisfaction. Usually she would be up straight after Ash, but she seemed perfectly content with where she was, and in truth, so was Ash. The group had enjoyed their time in Laverre so much that they were not in a hurry to leave, and with the day young, Ash thought he would take some time to enjoy the morning with Serena, who was still holding on tight. Ash sat there and wondered how she could still be so clean and fragrant after sleeping through such a hot night. She still looked as pretty as ever in her yukata, not the slightest bit creased, even after being slept in.

The sound of trees gently rustling in the breeze was all Ash thought he could hear, until the familiar sound of nuts and bolts being tightened grew louder. His ears awoke to the world around him, the post-festival Laverre City.

"Aren't they so cute!" The sound of Bonnie's voice began to be heard whispering nearby.

"They've been sleeping for quite a while now." Clemont replied as he finished analysing his blueprints. Ash's head shot around to find them. They had only been sitting on the bench that the group had occupied for the night, as Ash and Serena were both blissfully unaware of their awakening. "Morning, Ash!" Clemont called. He felt slightly embarrassed to find them sitting there like spectators as Serena's slumber continued. The Lumiose pair had already changed out of their yukatas and back into their normal clothes .They were both seemingly ready for whatever the day's activities would involve. Having completed their business in Laverre City, today would most likely see them make a departure, that is if Serena was content with letting go of Ash's arm.

"Uhh, should I wake her up?" He asked, not knowing what to do. On the one hand she looked so happy lying there, but on the other, they didn't want to waste the day. Bonnie watched on, enjoying the spectacle.

"We should probably get going soon." Clemont politely commented. Even though a part of him wanted not to, Ash felt that the two couldn't lie there forever. He needed to change back into his clothes, and most importantly, eat breakfast.

He ran his fingers through her hair, and gently tapped her on the shoulder with his free arm.

"Serena..." His whispered, trying to be as gentle as possible near her ear. Ash felt his stomach begin to get agitated. He placed a light tap on her nose, and immediately realised how soft and tender her skin was. She began to move around slightly, as Ash gently placed a hand over her face.

"Serena..." He whispered again, but still no awakening. Bonnie began to chuckle in the background while Clemont grinned to himself. Suddenly the thunderous growl of Ash's hungry stomach bellowed sound waves so strong that they jolted Serena back into consciousness. She shot up from shock off of Ash's body and slightly freaked out at the angry sound she heard while her eyes remained jammed shut. To stop her from instantly getting light-headed, Ash placed two reassuring hands on her shoulders. Serena began to rub her eyes, where Ash saw an adorable cuteness in his confused love. Her tender eyes slowly opened, where they focussed on the energetic, smiling face directly in front. The two smiled as their eyes met.

"Morning Serena."

"Morning Ash."

"Sorry about my stomach." He began to nervously laugh.

"Don't worry, it's an alarm I can get used to." She replied back as the two shared a smile. Ash released his hands from her shoulders as the two got up to face Clemont's already prepared breakfast table, with Bonnie sitting patiently waiting while swinging her legs alongside the Pokemon who had been running around all morning getting some early exercise. The two sat down to eat with their Lumiose friends, and began to ponder where to go next.

"So, where shall we head now?" Clemont posed the question. Serena rummaged through her back-pack to pull out her electronic guide of Kalos. After clicking a few buttons, her sleepy face suddenly sparked with energy.

"Hey guys, the next Showcase is in Dendemille Town, it's really near!" She exclaimed with brimming enthusiasm. Her energy caught on as the group around her lit up with excitement.

"This is your chance to do it! A quick-turnaround, and you could be soon holding your first Princess Key!" Clemont said while beaming, even he was anticipating the Showcase.

"Let's go quickly! I want to see Serena win!" Bonnie added with her hands in the air. Serena had a huge excitable smile on her face. Ash leaned in close to her.

"Serena, this is the one! This is where you win! I know it, I can feel it!" Ash seemed rallied with emotional support as he exclaimed with glittering eyes.

"Then shall we get going soon?" Clemont suggested. The group had suddenly become eager to reach Dendemille Town, but first they had to prepare to leave Laverre. Ash and Serena nodded.

"We're going to head back to the Pokemon Centre to get dressed and ready to go, you guys wait here." Ash said to the group and the Pokemon. Ash grabbed a hold of Serena's hand and began running.

"C'mon Serena, let's get going!" He had regained the adventurous spirit, as the couple sprinted off down into the heart of the city. Serena felt herself blush at how pumped up Ash was to see her reach her next Showcase. She felt an overwhelming sense of happiness upon realising that her nightmare now meant completely nothing, as she ran after he dream with Ash holding her hand. She may still be without a Princess Key, but she knew that was about to change, she had Ash with her- she knew she was now capable of anything.

Their fingers interlocked as they passed through the narrow Laverre streets. They looked around, and felt the memories of the gym, the stadium, the fan club, the café, and the many shops the two had looked around. It was quite a thought to think they would soon be leaving this all behind. It had really been a hectic few days. They arrived at the Pokemon Centre, and changed back into their usual attire. Serena carefully tied her ribbon extra tight, and admired its presence in the mirror, as Ash adjusted his hat, ready for what ever action may lie ahead. Their room had been tidied immaculately. Beds that Ash and Serena had tucked each other into now had bed sheets neatly folded placed on top of them. The two caught a glimpse of the open field that the balcony overlooked. They walked out there together, and stood on the tight balcony, remembering their moments both there and on the field, gazing up at the stars and talking. Serena reached into her pocket, and pulled out a piece of the blue ribbon she still had, and began to tie it around her hand. She looked tentatively at it for a moment, before turning to Ash.

"Ash..." Her voice called.

"Will we always be together?"

The raven-haired trainer turn around, to see Serena's delicate eyes. He began to wrap his hand around the ribbon, as the two held it close, sharing the strong bond between them. The two held the ribbon tight, Ash held it up close to their faces.

"Always and forever, until the very end, Serena." He looked into the blue ribbon with earnest eyes before looking back up at Serena. The two made the vow. Serena felt her feelings swell up strongly once more. No one could ever get between Ash and her. She claimed her raven-haired boy as she wrapped her arms around Ash, and pulled him into a hug. Ash joined in wrapping his around Serena's waist, feeling her soft rose-scented skin once more. She felt that glistening happiness with Ash again, feeling her emotions blossom even further. They held each other tightly once more, embracing the moment on the balcony. A sense of happiness filled both of them, while a sense of hope began to grow. Together, the two would tackle the remaining two gyms, the Kalos League, the next Showcases and the Master Class alongside any other challenges that came their way. They knew that together, they could beat anything, and anyone. Serena saw her path right in front of her, and Ash was holding her hand along the way. She would aspire to be Kalos Queen, with her prince by her side. Ash felt his passion flare up again. Serena wasn't a battler, but she had everything that lit his fire and made him smile. The two shared the moment gazing into each others' eyes. Amber met blue, warm smiles united. `

"I really love you, Ash." She whispered under her breath. He grinned.

"We will never give up, right? I just know that very soon, you'll be holding a Princess Key in your other hand." He reassured her with that irresistible flare of confidence. Ash wasn't one to scribble down poetry and recite a heart-felt speech, no. To Ash, love was putting all of his faith into one person who accepted him and put all of their faith and heart into him. He had put his heart into Serena, and had nothing but confidence that she would achieve big at her next Showcase. His endless will to spur her on while being by her side was what lead him to feel so strongly towards her, even if he had never realised it. Ash loved Serena. As he took her hand and encouraged her to strive even harder in her next performance, she felt that love. She felt happiness. The two left the balcony, and had one last look at the field and room. They switched off the light, shut the door, and for the final time, exited the Pokemon Centre.

Clemont, Bonnie and all of the Pokemon stood there waiting.

"We're ready to go!" Ash announced. Laverre now stood behind them. The thousands of lights that glowed and shined on them now watched on from a distance. What had guided Ash and Serena to each other's hearts was now watching over them from afar. The lights of Laverre City dimmed, but stayed glowing warmly within the young couple and the travelling group. The group and their Pokemon walked on until they reached the sign-post displaying "Route 15: Brun Way". They all stood on a high point, and had an astounding view of the city that they had spent such a special time in. The large tree stood the tallest, with the clock ticking on; life would continue at its own pace at Laverre City, while the travelling group would continue on at theirs. They stood and watched the view for a moment, before Serena felt herself begin to buzz with excitement and happiness to the point where she could explode. Similar to Ash, the thought of her next challenge was suddenly psyching her up. Her heart pounded at the thought of putting things right and getting her first Princess Key, and celebrating with Ash and everyone. She then seized her feelings. She enveloped Ash in her arms. Ash had no time to react as an elated Serena had suddenly taken a hold of him. Bonnie couldn't bare feeling left out of the love with in the happy couple any longer, in her innocence she wanted to get involved, and jumped on top of the hugging couple as Laverre watched over its travellers one last time.

"You two are just too cute!" She cried as she tightly clung onto the both of them.

"Bonnie, don't do such th-" Clemont tried to scold as Bonnie seized on the moment.

"Group hug everyone!" Bonnie yelled over her big brother while hanging on tight to the now bright red couple. In that moment all of the Pokemon rushed over to the three and joined in the huge hug. Luxray, Chespin, Dedenne, Pikachu, Fletchinder, Bunnelby and Pancham all jumped onto them, as Clemont then felt himself obliged to share the moment. They were happy, happy for their trainers who now knew each others' feelings. No longer were there secrets in the group, as the travelling family could advance now with smiles bigger and brighter than ever. Everyone had joined in, except for Frogadier and Braxien, who stood there laughing at the happy group, before then catching a glance at each other and blushing. They thought everyone was already involved, but they forgot about Hawlucha, who had soared up into the sky, took his aim, and landed powerfully to take his place on top of the bundle. Amongst his excitement, he went in too eagerly, and similar to Bonnie toppling over the group at the gym, Hawlucha caused the mass hug between everyone to brim over, as they fell into one huge pile. The group looked around and laughed at each other, enjoying their moment of comical unison.

Before long it was time to head off. Serena immediately jumped up and grabbed Ash by the hand, pulling him up.

"C'mon Ash, let's get going!" _She_ was leading Ash this time. "To Dendemille Town everyone!" Holding on tightly to his hand, she immediately rushed off into the distance with Ash trying to keep up by her side. Bonnie chased on behind them, keeping up with the eccentric couple, while the Pokemon also chased after. Clemont headed up the rear, and smiled as he watched his happy friends sprint into their next adventure. Off to Dendemille Town ran the travelling family.

As the Laverre lights would forever keep on shining, so would Ash and Serena's united hearts. There they seized the day hand-in-hand. There they chased after each other, and there they chased after their dreams.

Towards a new light they soared; together.

* * *

 _Summer is at its end, and so is this story. I can't believe it's over! It's been a real pleasure to upload this weekly guys. It's been a bit difficult this week with the website suffering a few issues, and I apologise for the late update. In the end you guys are the most important, so I just had to upload it soon! I've been really blessed with all of the support I have received weekly for this story. All of the people who have shared on Tumblr, Twitter, Serebii Forums etc. I'm really grateful. I'm so glad all of you have enjoyed reading this story as much as I have enjoyed writing it._

 _I really love Laverre City, and I hope you now love it too._

 _I particularly want to just give a quick mention to the users Ooobserver, Guywithglasses, PurimPopoie, UltimateCCC, Blaziqueen, TASOfficial, Leontheripper, Hawkins579 and a whole host of guests for their continuous support; it really means a lot, so thank you very much!_

 _As for the what happens after this, I'm on the verge of finishing another multi-chapter story called "Heartbeat". I will be releasing the first chapter next week, although it will be considerably different to the style of this story! It takes place on Route 16 (Melancolie Path) and if you're one for a bit of emotional emphasis in the Hurt/Comfort genre, then I would recommend giving it a read when it comes out; I should point out now that it will be quite dark in some places though! Going to take a slightly different approach as we head into these autumn months! I also have a one shot that should be coming out soon, too._

 _I hope that after this adventure you'll continue to enjoy these stories and support the ship. It's been great posting for you guys, and I can't wait to start releasing my next story! So for the final time, thank you very much, and see you soon!_


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